Boris Johnson facing Tory revolt over ‘lockdown by another name’ tiers system

Reports that whole of England may be placed in top two levels triggers fury among Conservative MPs

Conservative MP Steve Baker arrives at Downing Street
Covid Research Group deputy chair Steve Baker
(Image credit: Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Boris Johnson is facing a growing Tory rebellion over his post-lockdown tier system amid warnings that the whole of England may be placed in the highest two levels of restrictions.

Whitehall sources told the Daily Mail that it is “entirely possible” that no area would fall within Tier 1, the only level of restrictions that allow indoor socialising. That prediction has prompted anger among Conservative MPs who warn that the approach will be seen as “lockdown by another name”.

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Joe Evans is the world news editor at TheWeek.co.uk. He joined the team in 2019 and held roles including deputy news editor and acting news editor before moving into his current position in early 2021. He is a regular panellist on The Week Unwrapped podcast, discussing politics and foreign affairs. 

Before joining The Week, he worked as a freelance journalist covering the UK and Ireland for German newspapers and magazines. A series of features on Brexit and the Irish border got him nominated for the Hostwriter Prize in 2019. Prior to settling down in London, he lived and worked in Cambodia, where he ran communications for a non-governmental organisation and worked as a journalist covering Southeast Asia. He has a master’s degree in journalism from City, University of London, and before that studied English Literature at the University of Manchester.