Boris Johnson Faces Cabinet Opposition to New Covid-19 Restrictions

Boris Johnson faced a wave of opposition to new Covid-19 restrictions in England, forcing him to shelve decisions on a potential post-Christmas "circuit breaker" until ministers had seen new data. The prime minister said he would not hesitate to introduce restrictions if required to combat the spread of Omicron, despite deadlock between ministers on whether, how and when to act. The cabinet will meet again this week, with further data on the severity of the new variant expected tomorrow. Senior government insiders stated that no new restrictions would be introduced before Christmas.

Key Takeaways:

• Rishi Sunak led opposition to new Covid restrictions in England, calling for wait-and-see approach on data on the severity of the Omicron variant.
• The chancellor is drawing up plans to help the hospitality sector, which has suffered a slump in bookings, and is willing to go further if Covid data support the case for new social restrictions after Christmas.
• Lord David Frost, the former Brexit secretary, criticized Johnson's "coercive" Covid policies, suggesting that the prime minister has "lost control of the cabinet".
• Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Levelling-up Secretary Michael Gove spoke in favor of restrictions to combat the spread of Omicron, warning of a "tsunami" of infections.
• Senior government insiders stated that no new restrictions would be introduced before Christmas, with the cabinet to meet again this week.

Statistics:

• 91,743 daily Covid cases recorded in the UK yesterday.
• Hospital admissions rose sharply in London.
• The UK broke its daily vaccination record with over 1m jabs administered on Saturday.

Sources:

• Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister, quoted in "Boris Johnson faces cabinet opposition to new Covid-19 restrictions in England".
• Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer, quoted on plans to help the hospitality sector.
• Lord David Frost, former Brexit secretary, quoted in criticism of Johnson's Covid policies.
• Sajid Javid, Health Secretary, quoted on the threat of Omicron infections.
• Michael Gove, Levelling-up Secretary, quoted in support of restrictions to combat Omicron.