Coronavirus: 42 Tory MPs rebel over curfew

Forty-two Conservative MPs have voted against government regulations linked to the 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants in England.

But they did not inflict a defeat on Boris Johnson, with most Labour MPs abstaining in the vote.

Several Conservative MPs spoke out against the three-tier restrictions scheme announced this week, but the House of Commons backed them.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said they were needed to help save lives.

A group of backbench Conservatives forced a vote on a motion that could have gone through on the nod to register their disapproval over the curfew affecting pubs and restaurants in England.

The vote was symbolic as the new alert system coming into force includes the curfew.

Some 23 Labour MPs - including former leader Jeremy Corbyn - also voted against the government.

Ten Liberal Democrat MPs, six DUP MPs and the only Green MP, Caroline Lucas, joined them.

But they lost by 299 votes to 82 - a majority of 217.

In other developments on Tuesday, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called for a two-to-three-week "circuit-breaker", involving tougher restrictions in England to cut the spread of coronavirus.

And Conservative MP Chris Green resigned as a junior member of the government, warning of the prime minister's new restrictions system for England, that the "attempted cure is worse than the disease".

The 42 Conservative MPs who rebelled were: