There are no Covid restrictions required in England before Christmas, the minister said

A UK travel secretary has insisted that the sanctions imposed to stop the spread of the Omicron race in England should “see us until the new year” after Boris Johnson was humiliated for his “Plan B” in Commons.

Grant Shapps acknowledged that parliament would be recalled if more sanctions were imposed during the Christmas period but said he hoped this would not happen.

His remarks came after the prime minister endorsed a destructive punch for his rule Tuesday evening, when about 100 Tory councilors voted against a new requirement stating that they do not have test results or a vaccine certificate to enter major events.

The move came with the help of Labor but the rebellion is a warning that many members of the Prime Minister Tory may reject anything to impose anti-Covid restrictions, despite the growing epidemic.

Despite the turmoil, the government won a number of votes on the “Plan B” approach to Covid-19 – including wearing a mask, working from home improvement and the need for an incorrect exam or a vaccination certificate to enter most cases. But another 99 Tories mocked their leader for challenging the Covid certificate.

Many Conservative lawmakers now fear that Johnson may want to impose more sanctions soon, perhaps after the MPs leave Westminster on Thursday for their Christmas vacation.

“We have developed strategies that we believe will help us into the new year,” Shapps said BBC Breakfast. “If we had to do anything, parliament would have to be reminded to vote for it, it would not be a coincidence.

“We want people to enjoy Christmas this year. We are definitely in a better position than we were last year. ”

Shapps defended Johnson’s leadership, saying the queues of people waiting to receive their third jab around the country were proof of his authority.

But Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, on Wednesday warned travel committee members that the spread of the Omicron species “is probably the biggest problem we have had since the epidemic”.

He also said that the incidence of the disease is increasing within two days in most UK. “And I’m sure for example, that the numbers we see on the data in the next few days will be much larger compared to the growth we’ve seen, in the past.”

Such a proliferation has prompted Johnson to warn of a “serious threat” to Covid’s cases, leaving some Tory lawmakers believing that they will soon begin lifting bans on rallies or hospitality.

If parliament is remembered for voting on the new Christmas break, it could appoint the Prime Minister to hold another debate in the Commons.

Mark Harper, chairman of the Covid Recovery Group of Conservative MP, urged Johnson to “act differently” and “change the way he works” as a result of the rebellion.

“Instead of the Prime Minister speaking late at night on Sunday and intimidating many people unknowingly, it would have been better for him to come to the House of Commons on Monday to explain in detail the instructions he received, the things he received. to answer them, “he told BBC Radio 4’s. Today Wednesday program.

In the same program, Prof Graham Medley of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine warned that there is a “real possibility” that if the number of diseases continues to rise and spread in older groups, “we may see an increase in people with diabetes.” hospital admissions are growing rapidly and more than a thousand, perhaps up to 2,000 a day. ”

Additional reports by Philip Georgiades