Tory MP accuses PM of ‘creating a miserable dystopia’ with Covid curbs

Tory MP Steve Baker today accused Boris Johnson of ‘creating a miserable dystopia’ by re-imposing coronavirus restrictions as the Prime Minister braces for a massive Conservative revolt over ‘Plan B’. 

Mr Baker lashed out at Mr Johnson and claimed ‘at least’ 60 Tory MPs will vote against the Government on Tuesday when they are asked to rubber-stamp the PM’s latest Covid curbs.   

If such a rebellion does materialise it would be the largest suffered by Mr Johnson during his premiership. 

Mr Johnson triggered his ‘Plan B’ last week in a bid to buy the UK time in the fight against the new Omicron variant.

Many Tory backbenchers have reacted with fury to the measures, with some having already pledged to vote against the moves in the House of Commons on Tuesday. 

The decision to make vaccine passports compulsory for large venues has gone down particularly badly with backbenchers.  

The passes will need to be shown to gain access to indoor venues with more than 500 people, unseated outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people and any venue with more than 10,000 people from Wednesday.

The ‘Plan B’ measures also include compulsory mask-wearing in most public indoor settings, as well as guidance for employees to work from home where they can. 

Mr Baker, a vocal opponent of Covid restrictions, said he will vote against the measures as he announced the relaunch of the Conservative Way Forward group to press for freedom, a smaller state and lower taxes. 

He told Sky News: ‘Yes, I will vote against. I think what we are doing now is creating a miserable dystopia into which we are going forward and that is why today I am announcing that I will be relaunching Conservative Way Forward.

‘We need to create a movement which actually says the Conservative Party needs to be what people traditionally have recognised as conservative that is in favour of freedom and personal responsibility.’

 

Labour has said it intends to vote for the ‘Plan B’ measures which means they will clear the Commons even if there is a sizeable Tory rebellion.  

Asked for his assessment of how many Tory MPs could rebel against the Government, the former Brexit minister said: ‘It feels to me that is going to be at least 60 people voting against but of course it is a foregone conclusion because our useless opposition in name only will continue to support the Government, however authoritarian they are.

‘But really this is a moment where every last one of us should in good faith start thinking about what it means to live with coronavirus like we live with flu now that we are vaccinated and what kind of society we want to live in in the future.

‘I want one which is free, which is prosperous and which is joyful in which young people can have a hope of a better future and at the moment we are not looking like we are going to deliver that if we keep on panicking every time we get a variant.’