London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 12, 2025

Britain’s Covid restrictions go on and on, but time is running out for BoJo as he feels the heat from his own party

Britain’s Covid restrictions go on and on, but time is running out for BoJo as he feels the heat from his own party

British MPs have voted to suspend Freedom Day until July 19, but all is not well in the Conservative Party. If Boris Johnson attempts to extend the restrictions again, he could encounter a full-scale rebellion.

Having previously promised that all Covid restrictions would come to an end on June 21, Prime Minister Boris Johnson once again tested the patience of his own MPs by asking them to vote for an extension until July 19.

Prior to the vote, a number of Conservative MPs voiced their opposition. Former Tory leadership candidate, John Redwood, urged immediate re-opening. Steve Baker argued that “we now must not tolerate lockdowns perpetually on the table” and that the nation’s high streets “are in danger of becoming haunted alleyways.” And Sir Desmond Swayne had a veiled threat for Johnson, saying that “this is the party that only recently elected a leader that we believed was a libertarian ...there is much on which we are going to have to reflect”.

Following the debate, MPs voted to extend the Covid restrictions to July 19 by 461 to 60. The result was never in doubt, as the Labour Party, which has 198 MPs, had already signalled its support for extending restrictions. However, the most notable aspect was the fact that 51 Tory MPs voted against their own government. On the face of it, that might not sound like a great number, but it does represent around 15% of Johnson’s parliamentary party.

Added into the mix is the fact that there seems to be a split in Johnson’s Cabinet, with the influential Leader of the House of Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg, stating that “you can’t run society just to stop hospitals being full, otherwise you’d never let us get in our cars and drive anywhere…there has to be some proportionality.” He was later publicly rebuked by the Secretary for International Trade, Liz Truss, who responded that “Jacob has his views and those are his views...the reason we are doing this and taking these measures is to protect lives and that is why it is important.”

The prime minister had already attempted to assuage Tory anger, stating that July 19 was not the earliest possible date for reopening, but rather a “terminus date” – an absolute end to restrictions. However, we must not discount that there is a high probability that the government’s scientists, who always err on the side of caution, will advocate an extension beyond July 19.

Indeed, Mark Harper, the chairman of the Covid Recovery Group, a Tory caucus of around 50 MPs, claimed to have seen documents proving that further restrictions in the autumn and winter are being prepared.


Worryingly, this was not denied by the government. If Johnson was to push for an extension beyond July 19, he would have a full-scale rebellion on his hands, both in and out of the Cabinet.

If the arguments made yesterday to prolong the restrictions were flimsy, extending beyond July 19 would be farcical. Over 30 million Brits have now had two Covid vaccine jabs, which amounts to 56% of the adult population. Moreover, every adult over 50 has already been offered two jabs.

The data shows having had two jabs offers significant protection against the Delta variant, which accounts for over 96% of new infections. The Pfizer vaccine, for example, is 96% effective against hospitalisation after two doses, and the AstraZeneca vaccine is 92% effective. With the vast majority of those most at risk already double jabbed, the danger to life has been massively reduced.

If the prime minister is persuaded again by the scientists to extend restrictions, the number of Tory rebels will grow. Not only because more people will have been vaccinated, but also because the economy is in dire straits. Last year the government borrowed over £300 billion to cope with the Covid pandemic – the equivalent of £5,000 per person – and a peacetime record.

This year it is committed to borrowing a further £234 billion. The UK also has also accrued £2 trillion of national debt. This simply cannot go on and will one day have to be paid back. The only way that an economic crisis can be averted is for the country to reopen as soon as possible.

People also understand that life involves risk and that we are never going to be completely ‘Covid free’, as the doom and gloom scientists would like. As former Prime Minister Theresa May stated, “what the government need to state much more clearly is that sadly people will die from Covid here in the UK in the future, as 10,000 to 20,000 people do every year from flu.” We just have to accept that Covid is not going away, and it will not be eradicated anytime soon.

Those 51 Tory MPs who voted against the extension of restrictions are aware that life has to go on and return to normality as soon as possible. The prime minister will do well to listen to them. He may have avoided a crisis yesterday, with the help of Labour MPs, but if he attempts to extend restrictions beyond July 19, he will be forced to face the political consequences.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
×