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Boris Johnson warns NHS will become overwhelmed without England lockdown – video
Rebel Tories have struck a significant blow to Boris Johnson’s coronavirus strategy as 34 Conservatives voted against new lockdown measures in England.
In a move that would have threatened the prime minister’s majority if he had not had Labour’s support, senior Tories including Theresa May and Iain Duncan Smith tore into the government’s strategy.
They questioned why the regional tiered system had not been given longer to work, pointing to data showing infections falling in Liverpool since it entered tier 3.
Despite this, the four-week lockdown passed by 516-38 after it was backed by opposition parties, and it will come into force on Thursday.
May, who abstained on the vote, was among those voicing deep scepticism about the second lockdown. Johnson’s predecessor echoed calls for the government to publish new data on the economic and health costs of the restrictions.
In a final attempt to quell a substantial revolt, Johnson had urged rebels in the Conservative party to “put differences aside”. But May said a rolling series of lockdowns would cause “irreparable damage” to the economy and have a “significant impact on lives”, while the localised tier system had not been given adequate time to work. “The evidence is, from Liverpool, that cases are falling … across the age ranges,” she said.
Duncan Smith said the data used to put England into lockdown had “subsequently unravelled in the last few days”, also pointing to case numbers in Liverpool. He said he would not vote for the government’s plan, saying he believed the leak of the lockdown on Friday had “bounced the government” into announcing the measures.
Scientists believe the R number is still above 1 in most parts of the country, meaning that if infection rates are slowing in Liverpool and other areas in tier 3, it would not be enough to avoid a prolonged second wave and excess deaths.
Quick guide What you can and can’t do in England’s new national Covid lockdown
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New national restrictions are due to come into effect in England on Thursday, after MPs vote on them, and remain in place at least until 2 December.
What can I leave home for?
- For childcare or education, where it is not provided online.
- To go to work unless it can be done from home.
- Outdoor exercise either with household members or with one person from another household.
- For all medical reasons and appointments.
- To escape injury or harm, such as domestic abuse.
- To provide care for vulnerable people or volunteer.
- To shop for food and essentials.
- To see people in your support bubble.
- Children will still be able to move between homes if their parents are separated.
Government say the list is not exhaustive, and other permitted reasons for leaving home may be set out later. People could face fines from police for leaving their home without a legally permitted excuse.
Can different households mix indoors?
No, not unless they are part of an “exclusive” support bubble, which allows a single-person household to meet and socialise with another household.
Parents are allowed to form a childcare bubble with another household for the purposes of informal childcare, where the child is 13 or under.
Can different households mix outdoors?
People are allowed to meet one person from another household socially and for exercise in outdoor public spaces, which does not include private gardens.
Can I attend funerals, weddings or religious services?
Up to 30 people will still be allowed to attend funerals, while stone settings and ash scatterings can continue with up to 15 guests.
Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies are not permitted except in “exceptional circumstances”. Places of worship must remain closed except for voluntary services, individual prayer and other exempt activities.
Can I travel in the UK or abroad for a holiday?
Most outbound international travel will be banned. There is no exemption for staying away from home for a holiday. This means people cannot travel internationally or within the UK, unless for work, education or other legally permitted exemptions.
Which businesses will close?
Everything except essential shops and education settings, which include nurseries, schools and universities, will close.
Entertainment venues will also have to close. Pubs, restaurants and indoor and outdoor leisure facilities will have to close their doors once more.
However, takeaway and delivery services will still be allowed, while construction and manufacturing will stay open.
Parents will still be able to access registered childcare and other childcare activities where reasonably necessary to enable parents to work. Some youth services may be able to continue, such as one-to-one youth work, but most youth clubs will need to close their doors.
Public services, such as jobcentres, courts, and civil registration offices will remain open.
There is no exemption for grassroots organised team sports. Elite sports will be allowed to continue behind closed doors as currently, including Premier League football matches.
Aaron Walawalkar
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Speaking earlier in the debate, Johnson vowed that the lockdown would end on 2 December and that ministers would seek a “fresh mandate” on what came next.
“It is right for members on all sides of this house to have the doubts that have been expressed, to seek answers from me, and to provide scrutiny,” Johnson said. “But while it pains me to call for such restrictions on lives, liberty, and business, I have no doubt that these restrictions represent the best and safest path for our country, our people and our economy.”
Johnson did not remain in the Commons for May’s speech, causing cries of outrage from the opposition benches. But he told MPs earlier: “I know there are many in this house who are concerned about how long these measures might last, and that if people vote for these regulations today, they could suddenly find that they’re trapped with these national measures for months on end.
“So let me level with the house. Of course I can’t say exactly where the epidemiology will be by 2 December, but what I can say is that the national measures that I hope the house will vote on tonight are time-limited. It is not that we choose to stop them. They legally expire. So whatever we do from 2 December will require a fresh mandate and a fresh vote from this house.”
Johnson reiterated that the NHS being overwhelmed could have disastrous consequences. “It means that the precious principle of care for everyone who needs it, whoever they are, whenever they need it, that principle can be shattered for the first time in our experience,” he said. “It means those who are sick and suffering and in need of help could be turned away because there was no room in our hospitals.”
Whips were expecting a moderate rebellion of between 20 and 30 MPs, with key Tory rebels including the former chief whip Mark Harper, the former cabinet minister Esther McVey and the chair and vice-chair of the backbench 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady and Sir Charles Walker.
Harper said he was concerned about the modelling of the rapid rise of infections, saying it did not take into account the new tiered system. “I think therefore we’ve acted too soon, because we’re starting to see the tier system working,” he said.
Brady said he would vote against the government “with greater conviction than I have in casting any vote in those 23 years [as an MP].” He added: “I think there is an, unintended perhaps, arrogance in assuming the government has the right … to tell people whether they can visit their elderly parents in a care home, whether it has the right to tell parents they can’t see their children or grandchildren, whether it has any right – for heaven’s sake – to tell consenting adults with whom they are allowed to sleep.”
The former minister Steve Baker also said he would vote against the measures “with a heavy heart” because of doubts about the data that was presented to MPs. He said the UK must “improve standards in government so that never again do we see a model like this, which evaporates like morning mist under the sunlight of close inspection”.
However, he said there was a crucial need for compliance with the new rules, in a dig at the prime minister’s adviser Dominic Cummings who broke the last lockdown’s rules. “No more innovative eye tests,” Baker said.
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