British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday fended off attacks about his fitness to lead, after nearly 100 of his own MPs broke ranks and rebelled against his new coronavirus restrictions.
Johnson's government sought to play down what was the largest parliamentary vote against his administration by lawmakers from his own party a day earlier, with one minister saying it was not surprising that there were different views over the Covid-19 restrictions, dubbed draconian by many Conservatives.
Nearly 100 Conservative lawmakers voted on Tuesday against new coronavirus restrictions, dealing a major blow to Johnson’s authority and raising questions about his leadership.
The British leader noted that the restriction measures – implemented in response to the new Omicron variant and which include ordering people to wear masks in public places and use certificates of vaccination or of a negative test for some venues – were passed.
But the opposition Labour Party quickly pointed out that they were only approved because of its own votes. Labour leader Keir Starmer accused Johnson in parliament of being "the worst possible prime minister at the worst possible time" and that he was "too weak to lead".
It comes as Britain recorded a record 78,610 laboratory-confirmed Covid cases – and predictions from scientists of even higher rates to come.
'Balanced and proportionate' approach
At a testy session in Parliament, Starmer said Johnson's "own MPs have had enough. They won't defend him. They won't turn up to support him. They won't vote for basic public health measures," he said.
Johnson, who has warned that a "tidal wave" of Omicron could overwhelm health services, said he understood the "legitimate anxieties" of his fellow Tories.
But he denied the changes infringed on personal freedoms, adding: "I believe the approach we are taking is balanced and proportionate and right for this country."
And at a news conference, he vowed to push on with an ambitious booster jab programme to try to stop Omicron's spread. "I'm not going to change the policies," he said.
Mounting scandals
Johnson will be well aware of the implications for such a haemorrhaging of support. His predecessor, Theresa May resigned after Conservative MPs forced an internal vote of no confidence in her leadership.
Conservative lawmakers indicated that they were not yet at that stage.
But Mark Harper, May's former enforcer in Parliament, told Times Radio it was "a very clear message that colleagues are not happy" with the government.
Conservative MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said Johnson, who secured the party an 80-seat majority at the last general election, needed to listen or face a leadership challenge.
The rebellion could not have come at a worse time, with the party having taken a battering in recent weeks over a series of scandals.
But it could get worse if they lose a by-election in the safe seat of North Shropshire, in central England, on Thursday.
Many people in the constituency said they would vote on Johnson's recent record, just two years after his thumping general election victory on a pledge to "Get Brexit Done".
"This man is not fit to be prime minister," voter Garry Churchill, 71, told AFP. "I can't imagine why people would vote for the Conservative candidate in this by-election."
The by-election was prompted by the resignation of Conservative MP Owen Paterson over breaches of parliamentary lobbying rules.
'Cry of pain'
Johnson caused outrage by trying to change Parliament's disciplinary procedure to spare Paterson a 30-day suspension and was forced into an embarrassing U-turn.
He is also facing claims of dodgy dealing after an electoral watchdog fined the Conservatives for failing to declare who paid for a lavish decoration of his official flat.
That compounded accusations of cronyism following reports that wealthy party donors were given plum seats in the upper House of Lords.
Johnson's overall handling of the government's response to fighting successive waves of coronavirus variants, however, has come under the most scrutiny.
Public health messaging and compliance have been undermined by claims that government staff held parties last Christmas, despite telling the public to cancel theirs.
But Johnson, who has ordered an internal probe into the matter, told reporters the events had been "mischaracterised".
For many Conservatives, new measures against Omicron, particularly vaccine passes for nightclubs and sports venues, were a step too far.
Charles Walker of the powerful 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs said his colleagues were "putting a marker down" by voting against the government.
"It was a cry of pain from the Conservative Party," he told the BBC.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)
