Covid: Boris Johnson urges MPs to back tough tiers for England

Prime Minister Boris Johnson: "This is not a return to normality"

Boris Johnson has urged MPs to back his stricter Covid tiers system for England, as he tries to head off a rebellion from his backbenchers.

The PM said the NHS "remains under pressure" despite progress in tackling the virus during the nationwide lockdown ending on Wednesday.

So far 30 Tory MPs have confirmed they will oppose the measures in a vote taking place now.

But with both Labour and the SNP abstaining, they are expected to pass.

More than 55 million people will enter the two toughest tiers from 00:01 GMT on Wednesday if the plans are approved.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he recognised restrictions needed to continue, but he was "far from convinced" the new system will work, and economic help for firms was "nowhere near sufficient".

But, defending his decision to order his MPs to abstain, meaning they will not vote for or against, he said it was "not in the national interest" for his party to join Tory rebels and vote against the new tiers.

What are MPs voting on?

  • The government wants to introduce a new three-tier system of coronavirus restrictions in England, to replace the nationwide lockdown

  • Some Conservative MPs are concerned about the impact new restrictions could have on the lives of their constituents

  • So the government agreed to give them a vote before introducing new measures

  • Votes can be held after any such changes are introduced - just to give it a rubber stamp. But it is a legal requirement for the government to ask parliament for its support.

What would happen if MPs vote against?

Votes in the Commons need a bit of maths…

  • The government has a majority in the Commons. In other words, there are 85 more Conservative MPs than all the other parties put together

  • Some of them might vote against the new measures. Other may use the debate to raise their concerns, but then support the government in the vote

  • Labour, the Lib Dems and the SNP have told their MPs not to vote (but it's clear a few may rebel against that advice and vote anyway)

  • So we expect the government will still win the vote

Ahead of the vote, Mr Johnson said he recognised hospitality had "borne a disproportionate share of the burden" during the crisis, and confirmed an extra £40m for some pubs in tiers two and three.

The money will be distributed via councils to so-called "wet pubs" - those that don't serve food and so are the most affected by the highest levels of coronavirus restrictions.

Sir Keir Starmer: "The economic package is nowhere near sufficient"

The prime minister told MPs that the government could not "move too quickly" to end restrictions before a working vaccine is available.

He said he appreciated the "feeling of injustice" many feel at their tier allocation, and pledged to "look in granular detail" at the "human geography" of the virus when the tiers are reviewed in two weeks' time.

The government has promised MPs the chance to vote again on the measures in January - with the possibility the tier system could end on 3 February.

Three tier restrictions

The government announced last week that its tougher three tiers to tackle the virus would come into force when England's current lockdown ends in the early hours of Wednesday.

It will allow ministers to place areas into one of three tiers - medium (one), high (two) and very high (three) - but the majority of the population will face the higher range of restrictions.

In tier two, people are not allowed to mix with anyone outside their household or support bubble indoors, although they can socialise in groups of up to six outdoors.

Laura Foster explains the new three tier system for England

And in tier three, people must not mix with anyone outside their household or support bubble indoors, or at most outdoor venues.

Sir Graham Brady, who chairs the 1922 committee of Conservative backbenchers, is among those to confirm he will vote against the new tiers later.

He told MPs the government had made "no serious attempt" to forecast the economic effects of the restrictions, and his Altrincham and Sale constituency, which is in Greater Manchester, had been "unfairly" put in tier 3.

And Damian Green, the MP for Ashford in Kent, expressed concerns about the UK's plan to loosen restrictions for five days over Christmas, saying the country must avoid exchanging a "weekend of fun for a long winter of regret".

Several Labour MPs, including Richard Burgon, Emma Lewell-Buck, and Graham Stringer, have said they will defy Sir Keir's orders and vote against the system.

'No alternative plan'

Mr Johnson and the government's chief whip, Mark Spencer, addressed a virtual meeting of Conservative MPs - including members of the lockdown-sceptic Covid Recovery Group (CRG) - about an hour before the vote.

BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said the PM made a plea for unity, but did not offer any concessions on calls for county or borough-level restrictions, rather than tiers covering whole regions.

The PM was also pressed on how genuine the review of tiers promised on 16 December would be, added our correspondent.

Conservative backbencher Sir Edward Leigh said he would vote with the government with "deep reluctance," calling the tier system a "compromise".

"How can I vote against this measure tonight when there is no alternative plan, when the result of my vote tonight is that frail and vulnerable people will die," he asked.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey described the system as "chaotic" and said his party would not back the measures until the prime minister addressed their concerns - such as working with local authorities and supporting pubs.

The SNP said it would abstain as the measures only affect England but the DUP's Sammy Wilson said he would vote against, describing the government's approach as "Project Fear on steroids".

The Federation of Small Businesses said the support for pubs was totally inadequate as it would only cover the cost of 200 pints or roughly a single keg of beer.

On Tuesday, the Department of Health reported a further 603 people in the UK have died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus, bringing the official total to 59,051.

Government figures also show that as of 9am on Tuesday, there have been a further 13,430 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK.