Former Welsh secretary David Jones among Tory lockdown rebels

Former Conservative Government minister David Jones MP has voted against the UK government in its plans to introduce a four week lockdown in England.

The Clwyd West MP, and former Welsh Secretary, was one of 34 Conservative MPs to rebel against their government's proposals.

MPs were voting on the new measures that will come into force at midnight.

But Boris Johnson saw off the rebellion of Conservative MPs opposed to the move, with the support of Labour.

The government won the vote by 516 to 38, a majority of 478.

In a statement Mr Jones accused the UK government of producing evidence that "is obsolete and therefore unreliable".

He said modelling of the number of deaths provided at a press conference was "so out of date that it suggested that we should now be experiencing 1,000 deaths a day. The average of deaths last week was 260".

"This is not to say that any number of deaths is tolerable. However, if the government is asking Parliament to take the extreme step of ordering the entire population of England to be deprived of their civil liberties, it should provide compelling evidence of the need to do so," he said.

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Mr Jones, along with all other north Wales Conservative politicians in the Senedd and the Commons, had opposed local lockdowns being imposed in north Wales in September.

He was the only Conservative MP in Wales to rebel in the vote on Wednesday.

Plaid Cymru abstained from voting on the measures, that will apply to England.

All other Welsh MPs, both Labour and Conservative, voted with the government - except for Cardiff North MP Anna McMorrin who did not record a vote.

However, this does not necessarily mean she deliberately abstained.

Other Tory rebels included former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the influential 1922 committee of backbenchers. Former Prime Minister Theresa May abstained.

The lockdown in England includes the closure of pubs, gyms and non-essential shops.

It will replace the three-tiers of regional restrictions across England for four weeks, until 2 December, when the tiers will be re-imposed.

Welsh vote

Wales' firebreak lockdown - which includes stay-at-home regulations and has seen the closure of non-essential retail and pubs - ends on 9 November.

The Welsh Parliament voted on the restrictions, which began on 23 October, on Tuesday - 37 voting for and 17 against.

Welsh Conservative and Independent Alliance for Reform politicians were among those voting against, while Labour and Plaid supported the motion.