Labour MPs will withhold their support when the Commons votes on Boris Johnson’s new, stricter system of tiered coronavirus restrictions later this evening - the first time that the opposition has not backed government proposals for tackling the pandemic.
“Labour accepts the need for continued restrictions,” Starmer tweeted last night. “However, I remain deeply concerned that Boris Johnson’s government has failed to use this latest lockdown to put a credible health and economic plan in place.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A government spokesperson accused the Labour chief of “playing politics in the middle of a pandemic”.
Starmer’s decision “will prompt fears in Downing Street that Johnson can no longer count on the opposition’s support for coronavirus measures that have become deeply unpopular with his own MPs”, The Guardian reports.
There is little doubt that the new rules will pass, however, as most Conservative MPs will vote for them. “What probably ends up mattering - not so much today but in the weeks ahead - is whether the Tory rebellion is larger than the government’s majority,” says Politico London Playbook’s Alex Wickham.
That could spell defeat for future Covid rules - although the maths would be complicated by a smaller rebellion on the Labour backbenches. Several MPs “want to break ranks and vote against the reintroduction of Tiers 1, 2 and 3”, and are “refusing even to abstain”, says HuffPost.
By ending his support for the government, Starmer has dodged “a full-on showdown with a 20-strong contingent of northern Labour MPs who want to vote against the tiers”, adds Politico’s Wickham.
The tactical abstention could therefore serve two purposes, says the Daily Mail: to “quieten” the rebellion on his own backbenches and “expose Tory fault-lines on the divisive issue”.
-
The Beckhams: the feud dividing BritainIn the Spotlight ‘Civil war’ between the Beckhams and their estranged son ‘resonates’ with families across the country
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 – 30 JanuaryQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why is China clearing out its generals?Podcast Plus, can the Conservatives win back the centre? And what’s gone wrong with Britain’s hearing aids?
-
How long can Keir Starmer last as Labour leader?Today's Big Question Pathway to a coup ‘still unclear’ even as potential challengers begin manoeuvring into position
-
What is at stake for Starmer in China?Today’s Big Question The British PM will have to ‘play it tough’ to achieve ‘substantive’ outcomes, while China looks to draw Britain away from US influence
-
Can Starmer continue to walk the Trump tightrope?Today's Big Question PM condemns US tariff threat but is less confrontational than some European allies
-
The high street: Britain’s next political battleground?In the Spotlight Mass closure of shops and influx of organised crime are fuelling voter anger, and offer an opening for Reform UK
-
Alaa Abd el-Fattah: should Egyptian dissident be stripped of UK citizenship?Today's Big Question Resurfaced social media posts appear to show the democracy activist calling for the killing of Zionists and police
-
Is Keir Starmer being hoodwinked by China?Today's Big Question PM’s attempt to separate politics and security from trade and business is ‘naïve’
-
Nigel Farage’s £9mn windfall: will it smooth his path to power?In Depth The record donation has come amidst rumours of collaboration with the Conservatives and allegations of racism in Farage's school days
-
ECHR: is Europe about to break with convention?Today's Big Question European leaders to look at updating the 75-year-old treaty to help tackle the continent’s migrant wave
