A Tory MP has revealed why he rebelled against the government as it passed new laws aimed at halting the spread of Covid-19.
Boris Johnson suffered the biggest revolt of his premiership as the controversial rules passed into law earlier this week.
The ‘Plan B’ restrictions mean people will need ‘vaccine passports’ to get into nightclubs and large venues, while masks are now compulsory in most indoor spaces, including shops and public transport.
READ MORE: Hazel Grove Tory MP says 'few will be convinced by diversionary tactic' of Plan B announcement
Vaccination will also now be mandatory for people working within the NHS.
Hazel Grove MP Will Wragg has explained to the Local Democracy Reporting Service why he felt unable to support the move.
Covid passports
“Covid vaccine passes are of no use whatsoever, because even people who have been vaccinated can still transmit the virus – that would be my first point,” says Mr Wragg.
“Then you begin a precedent that it would inevitably extend to other venues as well.”
He was one of 99 Conservatives to reject proposals which mean people in England must now prove they are fully vaccinated or recently tested negative to enter nightclubs and larger venues.
The measures – which come in the wake of the ‘highly transmissible’ Omicron variant – were approved in a series of votes in Parliament on Tuesday night.
The vote on vaccine passports was the biggest rebellion of the day - and the Hazel Grove MP stands by his decision.
But he stresses he is not against people having the jab – far from it.
“I’m very, very pro-vaccine – I encourage people to get their jabs, get their boosters – I have done that and would encourage people to do the same,” he adds.
“It becomes quite a divisive tool and that’s something I have an instinctive reaction against.
“I voted against their impractical nature as well as my gut reaction to measures such as that.”
Could the use of vaccine passports not give people that extra-reassurance and confidence that venues are safe to visit – benefiting both customers and businesses?
“That may be the case but what have they said now? They have said to limit social activity,” says Mr Wragg, alluding to recent comments from England’s Chief Medical officer Chris Whitty, who has advised people not to’ mix with people you don’t have to’.
“Either it’s safe to go out and enjoy these places or people should stay at home – which is it to be?” he adds.
“It is a mixed message. The overwhelming message I’m trying to get out is for people to receive their booster.
“I really want that to be the overriding message I’m trying to convey.”
Masks
Mandatory wearing of face masks has now been extended to most public indoor venues in England.
Only 38 Conservatives rebelled against the government on this vote – far fewer than those who couldn’t stomach the vaccine ‘passports’.
While Mr Wragg is an advocate of face-coverings, he does not think making them compulsory is the best approach.
But what of the argument that wearing a face mask is a small sacrifice that has the potential to do a great deal of good, with a negligible downside?
“ I understand that, but when you bring it into law you have to have someone to enforce that,” says the Conservative.
“I think it’s perfectly right people should [wear masks]. I wear one as courtesy to others and to give them that sense of wellbeing,”
But he says his ‘problem’ is that shop workers and bus drivers end up shouldering the responsibility for making people comply.
“Frankly, the vast majority of people will wear their masks,” he adds.
“I’m concerned about putting the people asked to enforce it in difficult, confrontational situations.
“That’s the difference between strong guidance and encouragement and putting it into law.
“There have been far too many stories of confrontations and arguments. I don’t think it’s fair on the people being asked to enforce it.”
Mandatory vaccinations for NHS workers
Mr Wragg was also among the 63 Conservative MPs who rebelled over compulsory vaccinations for frontline NHS workers.
Health secretary Sajid Javid said this was needed to ‘avoid preventable harm’ to NHS patients and workers – as well as to protect the NHS itself.
According to report published by a House of Lords committee last month, the move would lead to around 126,000 NHS staff leaving their jobs.
It added that the government had failed it provide ‘very strong evidence’ to justify the £270m cost and ‘major disruption’ to health and care provision.
And it is this latter point that concerns Mr Wragg.
While he stressed he does want NHS workers to get vaccinated, he adds that he is ‘very curious’ as to how the government intends to fill the number of vacancies that are now expected to arise.
“I don’t know the exact nature of what roles those people are performing – that was certainly a consideration when I was voting – the impact assessment on how many people would leave the health service,” he says.
Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, has warned MPs that Omicron cases numbers are set to become ‘staggering’, describing the strain as ‘probably the most significant threat since the start of the pandemic’.
Asked whether he could envisage a scenario which would force him to rethink his position, Mr Wragg says he thinks this unlikely.
“Certainly on the issues of Covid passes and the mandatory vaccination of NHS workers, no I would not,” he says.
The government ultimately had to rely on Labour to get the new restrictions over the line.
These included Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, who told the Commons they were ‘proportionate’, ‘necessary’ and would ‘help us have a safer Christmas as well as protect our NHS from being totally overwhelmed by this new variant’.
Will Wragg has been the Conservative MP for Hazel Grove since 2015, when he unseated Mark Hunter – now leader of Stockport council’s Liberal Democrat group.
