Tiered coronavirus restrictions approved by MPs despite major backbench rebellion

Early reports suggested 53 Conservative MPs voted against Boris Johnson’s plan to place 99 per cent of the country into either Tier 2 or Tier 3, citing concerns over hospitality businesses in the run up to Christmas, and saying that assurances given by ministers had simply not been good enough.

It's thought the vote could be the biggest backbench rebellion in parliamentary history.

The majority of Yorkshire will now be under Tier 3 rules, meaning a ban on households mixing, except in limited circumstances such as in parks, while bars and restaurants will be limited to takeaway or delivery services and people will be advised to avoid travelling outside their area.

York and North Yorkshire will be under Tier 2, where the restrictions mean a ban on households mixing indoors, and pubs and restaurants only able to sell alcohol with a “substantial meal”.

But Mr Johnson failed to convince a total of 78 backbenchers that the approach was the right one, winning the vote with a majority of 213.

Among the rebels were Philip Davies (Shipley), David Davis (Haltemprice and Howden), Robbie Moore (Keighley) and Imran Ahman Khan (Wakefield).

Mr Johnson attempted to quell the rebellion by announcing a £1,000 one-off payment for so-called wet pubs, those which do not serve food.

He said the move recognised “how hard they’ve been hit by this virus in what is typically their busiest month”.

He added: “I’m not this afternoon seeking open-ended measures. On the contrary, these regulations come with a sunset clause, at the end of February 2 and at that point, we will have sufficient data to assess our position after Christmas.

“And though I believe these types of restrictions will be needed until the spring, they can only be extended beyond February 2 if this House votes for them.”

He said: “We’ll review the allocation of tiers every 14 days starting on December 16. MPs have it in their powers, in our power to help move our areas down the tiers by throwing their full weight, throwing our full weight as leaders in our communities, behind community testing and seizing the opportunity to encourage as many people as possible to take part.”

But the offer was branded “derisory” by the trade at a time when landlords should be enjoying a festive boost to their takings.

Mr Johnson also indicated that the Government would look at smaller areas when deciding tiering arrangements in future - a key demand of Tories concerned that low infection rates in some areas were not being reflected in the restrictions being imposed.

“We will try to be as sensitive as possible to local efforts and to local achievements in bringing that pandemic under control,” he added.

But speaking in the Commons, Elmet and Rothwell Tory MP Alec Shelbrooke said: “I’m afraid I’ve got to say that the announcement the Prime Minister made today for wet pubs is risible, it’s not good enough.”

And after reading messages from constituents detailing their struggles, he added: “Please minister, people need more support than they are getting.”

He said he would vote with the Government but added: “We need to get control ASAP. And we need to help businesses stop dying, we need to put them on life support, we're taking away their lifeblood and we haven't heard enough of that today.”

He said like many people in the country he was trying to stay positive, but he said: “It is hard, I wake up every morning feeling angry.”

He said: “I've seen my parents for three hours since February. I was hoping to be able to meet for Christmas, or longing for it.

“But as with so many other families now it cannot happen because the pandemic has fundamentally not changed.”

Nick Fletcher (Don Valley) also said he would vote with his party despite his misgivings about further restrictions.

Speaking about the tier system, and the test and trace operate, Mr Davis said: “What we have now is not enough. We must follow the example of Germany, South Korea and others by having restrictions imposed on a much smaller area.

“They work better. They're fairer, and they cause much less economic damage.”

And he added: “We don't know for sure that the blanket lockdown restrictions worked to suppress the virus. But what we do know for sure is the economic damage caused by such restrictions, the impact on people's livelihoods and even their mental health is absolutely clear.”

He said: “In this country we do not give up our freedoms lightly. What we need today is a policy of maximum protection for minimum damage, this policy is not it, and I hope the next iteration in February does a much better job.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the Prime Minister’s strategy posed a “significant” health risk and it was “highly unlikely” to see restrictions eased in parts of the country before Christmas.

He accused Mr Johnson of “over-promising and under-delivering” by pursuing an approach of short-term decisions that then “bump into the harsh reality of the virus”

Health secretary Matt Hancock closed the debate by revealing that his step-grandfather, Derek, had died from Covid-19 in November after catching it in Liverpool, a city whose efforts to combat the virus Mr Hancock praised.

"We can let up a little, but we cannot let up a lot. We know through repeat experience what can happen if this virus gets out of control. This is fact - it's not just speculation.

"I want to say thank you to the people of the great city of Liverpool. Infections are down by four-fifths. That is what we can do if we work together in the spirit of common humanity.

"We can beat this. We know there are costs. But we can't learn to live with Covid - people die from Covid."