UK PM Boris Johnson suffers biggest party rebellion over curbs to stop Omicron
- Nearly 100 Tory MPs vote against measures which would usher in mandatory use of Covid passes in England
- PM Boris Johnson, already under pressure over scandals, is battling to prevent Omicron spiralling out of control
Boris Johnson suffered his biggest rebellion since becoming UK prime minister, forcing him to rely on opposition votes to implement a key measure to stop the spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant.
Almost 100 Tories on Tuesday opposed his plan to mandate the use of so-called Covid passes at nightclubs and other venues in England to try to help prevent the spread of the new strain, easily surpassing the 55-strong rebellion Johnson suffered a year ago that was also over coronavirus measures.
It’s a significant blow to his authority and comes at a critical time ahead of a special parliamentary election this week that could damage his standing still further. It also risks limiting his options to respond to the pandemic if the Omicron crisis deepens, with infections running at an estimated 200,000 a day.
The magnitude of the rebellion illustrates the depth of anger among his MPs, not just at the erosion of civil liberties they say his coronavirus rules represent. They’re also frustrated at some of Johnson’s self-inflicted errors that have damaged the party in recent weeks.
01:49
First death linked to Omicron in UK as China records its first case of the coronavirus variant
Just two years on from securing the Tories’ biggest majority since 1987, the idea of a leadership challenge to Johnson is suddenly not so far-fetched.
“He’s got to now be in some danger,” Tory rebel Geoffrey Clifton-Brown told Sky News. “The prime minister’s really got to think very carefully about how he’s going to reset his performance to actually govern with a united party, because we all know what happens to disunited party,” he said, adding that a leadership challenge has “got to be on the cards” next year.
What began with Johnson’s mishandling of an ethics probe morphed into a major public relations crisis over allegations his staff held Christmas parties against pandemic rules last year. Amid the turmoil, the Tories have slumped in the polls, handing a lead to Keir Starmer’s Labour in many surveys.
It means that Thursday’s vote in the parliamentary seat of North Shropshire, which in normal times should be a safe hold for the Tories defending a majority of almost 23,000, is suddenly a moment of danger for Johnson. There are signs the Liberal Democrats are running the Tory candidate close.
A loss there, on top of the restlessness among Tories over Johnson’s recent missteps, would raise questions about his leadership.
The country recorded nearly 60,000 new Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours to Tuesday – one of its highest daily tallies of the pandemic – as the variant became the dominant strain in London.
Several shows in the capital’s West End theatre district, including The Lion King, have been forced to cancel performances following outbreaks among cast and crew.
Meanwhile, Manchester United’s football match at Brentford on Tuesday was postponed as the English Premier League reported a record number of cases.
Johnson is hoping to curb the impact of infections by ramping up the country’s booster programme, having pledged to try to offer a third dose to all adults by the end of the month.
Officials said more than 510,000 were jabbed Monday – nearly double the number a week earlier but far short of the ambitious one million-a-day target.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
