Tory rebellion over lockdown easing looms

BORIS JOHNSON faces a major rebellion next week from dozens of Conservative MPs over extending lockdown laws in England.

The lockdown in England is enforced by a number of different measures, some set out in the Coronavirus Act and others in public health legislation.

The Act, which gives local authorities the power to enforce restrictions, has to be extended for another six months from March 25.

The restrictions themselves are set to expire at various points over the coming year. MPs have been promised a vote on these before the end of this month, when Parliament breaks for its Easter recess.

Speaking in the Commons on Feb 21, Mr Johnson told MPs: “Yes indeed … there will of course be another vote in this House about these measures before Easter.”

The measures are not amendable, so MPs will be voting to extend the Coronavirus Act powers by six months until September even though the PM wants to lift lockdown restrictions in England in June.

The votes are within days of Mr Johnson’s expected meeting with the 1922 Committee of Tory MPs when he is expected to come under pressure over the lockdowns.

Senior Conservatives said they expect “dozens” of Tories will vote against the extensions or abstain if the infection rate keeps falling.

On Friday, the coronavirus infection “R” rate in England hit its lowest since September, falling to between 0.6 and 0.8.

Senior Tories expect a bigger rebellion against the extension of the lockdown measures than the vote on the Coronavirus Act itself.

Mark Harper MP, chairman of the anti-lockdown coronavirus recovery group, said: “With better news and data each week about the NHS vaccination rollout … the Government must ensure data, science and evidence lie at the heart of its approach. Sticking rigidly to a set of dates based on outdated, overly pessimistic modelling would be a mistake.”

The Government roadmap out of the lockdown last month set out a series of “no earlier than” dates when parts of the economy in England could reopen.

But Cabinet ministers who want the dates brought forward point to the sentence: “These dates are wholly contingent on the data and are subject to change.”

Separately, legal action has started today over the Government’s decision to keep indoor hospitality closed beyond April 12, when nonessential shops can open.

Hugh Osmond, founder of Punch Taverns and former Pizza Express chief, told Mr Johnson that there was no “evidence or justification for the prioritisation” of nonessential retail over hospitality and that they “are considering further the potentially indirectly discriminatory effect” on young and black, Asian and minority ethnic people working in the hospitality industry.

The letter said “time is of the essence” for the industry.