Politics latest news: Boris Johnson in last-ditch effort to win over rebels ahead of Tier vote

Cat Neilan
·6 min read
Boris Johnson is hoping to win over rebels ahead of tier vote - Reuters
Boris Johnson is hoping to win over rebels ahead of tier vote - Reuters

Boris Johnson is embarking in a last-ditch effort to persuade Conservative rebels to back his new Tiered structure, ahead of a vote in the Commons later today. 

Around 50-60 Tories are expected to vote against the Prime Minister, with big names such as Sir Graham Brady, Iain Duncan Smith and Sir Charles Walker among those expected to rebel, alongside members of Mark Harper's 40-strong Covid Recovery Group. A wide number of abstentions are also expected, which could lay bare the scale of growing unease at the restrictions. 

Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, told Sky News the work to persuade would-be rebels was continuing today. 

"I hope we will be able to convince as many people as possible to support the Government today," he said. "They are tough but fair tiers. The vaccine is coming over the hill, and with the vaccine we will be able to get life back to normal. But it is really important we don't lose the discipline we have now."

Backbenchers have warned that the situation is further eroding goodwill towards the Prime Minister, particularly after the anodyne impact assessment published yesterday was followed by the leaking of a secret dossier. 

"People are fed up, but what is the alternative? I don't have an answer to that and neither does anyone else," he added.

Another said he expected more rebels than the previous votes but there was no "operation to persuade colleagues to vote against".

"Folk will make up their own minds," he added.

Follow the latest updates below.

08:28 AM

Michael Gove: I have not seen Whitehall dossier

Michael Gove has not seen the secretive Whitehall dossier leaked last night, that is said to contain far more information than the impact assessment given to MPs. 

According to The Times, the dossier gives "granular" detail on the impact of restrictions on nearly 40 sectors including aerospace, the automotive industry, retail, hospitality and tourism, art and heritage and maritime, with each sector given a red, amber and green rating for revenue, jobs and financial stability.

Asked about it this morning the Cabinet Office minister said he had not seen but he understood that "the evidence is broadly drawn from the ONS and other publicly available statistical databases".

He added: "What would the effect on economy be if the NHS was overwhelmed? Would it be the case that people would be flocking to the January sales? Would people risk celebrating in pubs and bars if they knew the number of beds available for Covid and other cases was running close to zero?

"The threat to economy, the damage to economy, is damage as a result of the pandemic," Mr Gove said.

08:18 AM

Wales lifted restrictions 'too expansively', says Michael Gove

The Welsh Government lifted restrictions "too expansively", Michael Gove has said, which is why England should leave its national lockdown "cautiously". 

Wales is bringing in further national restrictions from Friday night after a steady rise in infection rates since a 17-day "firebreak" ended on November 9.

The Cabinet Office Minister told BBC Breakfast: "I've got enormous sympathy with the difficulties that the Welsh Government are wrestling with.

"But it looks, with the benefit of hindsight, as though immediately after their two-week lockdown they lifted restrictions too expansively.

"As a result of doing that the virus once more got out of control, so they've had to slam the brakes on again.

"That's one of the reasons why we're exiting the lockdown cautiously," he added. "The example of Wales shows what can happen if you lift the restrictions in too blanket a way too soon."

08:16 AM

Michael Gove dodges questions about NHS hospital capacity

Michael Gove has defended the Government's decision to seek to impose further restrictions after the lockdown lifts tomorrow - but dodged specifics about current hospital capacity. 

The Cabinet Office minister told Radio 4's Today programme that early on in November, the NHS was close to being overwhelmed but the rate of infection had been brought down, allowing a relaxation of measures - although not a total lifting. 

Asked how many Nightingale Hospitals were being used, and how many hospital beds are currently in use, he said: "We don't need to use the Nightingale Hospitals at the moment as a result of the steps we have taken... [but in early November] almost nine in 10 hospital beds were occupied.

"If it is the case that the infection rates double, the number of people in hospital would overwhelm the NHS. The reason why we have some capacity is because of the steps we took then." 

08:09 AM

Michael Gove: Wales-style lockdown could be imposed without new tier system

Michael Gove said he is confident another lockdown could be avoided, but warned that lifting the current lockdown without imposing the new Tiered system could result in a Wales-style situation.

He told Sky News: "I am as confident as confident can be that we won't need one because the tiers that we have now are pretty robust."

Asked if he could rule out another lockdown, Mr Gove said: "You can never rule anything out in politics, but, as I say, I'm pretty confident on the basis of the rigour with which these new tiers are applying that we can prevent a national lockdown.

"One thing I fear though would be that if we were to relax the situation too rapidly then we would have the situation which we have had in some other countries, and, indeed, in Wales, where you have to slam the brakes on again."

Yesterday Mark Drakeford, Wales' First Minister, announced that  pubs, restaurants and cafes will be banned from serving alcohol from Friday and will be unable to open to customers beyond 6pm.

Michael Gove: A tacit warning to those planning to rebel today - AFP
Michael Gove: A tacit warning to those planning to rebel today - AFP

08:06 AM

No plans for vaccine passport, claims Michael Gove

Michael Gove has said there are no plans for a "vaccine passport" for access to hospitality and entertainment venues once coronavirus jabs are introduced.

Yesterday Nadhim Zahawi, the business minister made vaccine tzar over the weekend, told the BBC that the Government was "looking at the technology" that would allow "restaurants, bars, cinemas and other venues, sports venues" to establish whether people had been inoculated.  

But asked this morning if there would be a vaccine passport, Mr Gove told Sky News: "No, that's not being planned.

"I certainly am not planning to introduce any vaccine passports and I don't know anyone else in Government..."

The Cabinet Office minister added: "I think the most important thing to do is make sure that we vaccinate as many people as possible."

07:43 AM

Tories in revolt over Boris Johnson's Covid tiers

Boris Johnson faces a humiliating Tory revolt over his new tiers system on Tuesday after he was accused of refusing to publish any forecast of the impact it will have on the economy.

Scores of backbenchers are expected to rebel when the tiers are put to a vote, saying they were not being given the full picture and were being asked to back "a pig in a poke".

On Monday night, Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, announced that he would tell his MPs to abstain in the vote, meaning the size of the Tory rebellion will be thrown into even sharper focus.

Although the tiers, which come into force on Wednesday, are still expected to be approved by Parliament, the absence of Labour votes will hugely diminish the winning margin and draw attention to the split in the Tory ranks.

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