The Prime Minister is braced for a damaging Tory rebellion as MPs will vote on a toughened three-tier system of coronavirus controls in England.
However the government is still expected to win Tuesday’s Commons vote on the new rules after Labour said it would abstain.
It would mean the new system would come into force across England tomorrow - December 2.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer – who has previously backed government measures – said while his party had “serious misgivings”, it would not be in the national interest to vote them down when the virus still posed a “serious risk”.
But with scores of Conservative MPs deeply unhappy at the extent of the restrictions, the vote is likely to cause divisions within the party.
Many backbenchers are furious their constituencies face stricter controls than before the latest national lockdown.
When is the vote?
A Cabinet meeting is taking place this morning, with a motion to approve regulations from around 12.45pm.
The Commons vote is expected to take place at around 7pm this evening.
At a Downing Street coronavirus conference on Monday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he hoped some areas could be moved into lower tiers when the restrictions come up for their first fortnightly review on December 16.
But scientists advising the government have made clear they see little scope for any widespread easing before Christmas.
It could mean most areas of England will go into the new year in one of the toughest two tiers with a ban on households mixing indoors and strict controls on the hospitality sector.
Only the Isle of Wight, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have been designated for the lightest Tier 1 restrictions.
