Call to give MPs a vote on new restrictions

TORY BACKBENCHERS

SENIOR TORIES are planning to try to stop Ministers imposing new coronavirus lockdown restrictions without the say of Parliament.

Sir Graham Brady, inset, the chairman of the powerful Conservative backbench 1922 Committee, has said he intends to table an amendment which would require the Government to put any new measures to a vote of MPs.

Sir Graham told The Sunday Telegraph yesterday that he would take the opportunity to seek to amend the legislation when the Government comes to renew the emergency powers in the Coronavirus Act 2020.

The move is likely to attract significant support from Conservative MPs unhappy at the extensive powers taken by

Ministers with little or no parliamentary scrutiny.

Sir Graham told the newspaper: “In March, Parliament gave the Government sweeping emergency powers at a time when Parliament was about to go into recess and there was realistic concern that NHS care capacity might be overwhelmed by Covid19. We now know that the NHS coped well with the challenge of the virus and Parliament has been sitting largely since April.”

He added: “There is now no justification for ministers ruling by emergency powers without reference to normal democratic processes.

“It is essential that going forward all of these massively important decisions for family life, and affecting people’s jobs and businesses should be exercised with proper supervision and control.”