When the third lockdown was voted on in the House of Commons last month, there was a smaller Tory rebellion than the previous two votes. A combination of the arrival of an exit strategy through vaccines, the new Kent variant and the sharp increase in hospital admissions meant that many MPs previously critical of lockdown as a tool against coronavirus, supported the measures. However, with Boris Johnson due to set out a roadmap later this month on the path out of lockdown, the mood is now beginning to change.
Tensions increased this week when Matt Hancock announced new border measures. Controversially, this included a potential ten year prison sentence for those who lied about where they had travelled to the UK from. This was quickly criticised across the political spectrum, with former attorney general Dominic Grieve criticising the legal basis and libertarian Tories voicing their concern over what they saw as a draconian punishment for those who flouted the rules.
Some of this downplaying of expectations is being put to the new No.
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