Boris Johnson was last night warned against imposing even more stringent coronavirus curbs ahead of a Commons showdown tomorrow.
More than 60 Tory backbenchers are poised to oppose the Plan B measures to counter the threat of the Omicron variant – the biggest rebellion of Mr Johnson’s premiership.
The restrictions will see proof of vaccination or a negative test become mandatory for large venues this week, and today the return of work from home guidance.
The Prime Minister will avoid an embarrassing defeat with the measures set to be voted through thanks to backing from Labour, but Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, and Maggie Throup, the Vaccines Minister, are said to have been scrambling to limit a rebellion that could involve dozens of Conservatives.
It comes as several Parliamentary Private Secretaries (PPS) are threatening resignation, with the Telegraph reporting that a group of 10 parliamentary secretaries formed a WhatsApp group to discuss how to vote on the new measures.
MPs in the PPS group include two of Communities Secretary Michael Gove’s three ministerial aides – Danny Kruger and Angela Richardson – along with two of the three ministerial aides to Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab – Joy Morrissey and Mike Wood.
