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aBoris Johnson has told Tory rebels that coronavirus health certificates are a “proportionate” response to the threat of Omicron, as he faces the prospect of the biggest revolt of his leadership.
The Prime Minister said his Plan B to tackle coronavirus this winter is necessary for public health, as about 75 Conservatives consider rebelling in Tuesday’s vote.
Tories are particularly opposed to making NHS Covid passes, displaying vaccine status or a negative lateral flow result, mandatory for entry to large venues such as nightclubs.
The measures are expected to be approved with Labour’s support, but that would be a significant blow to Mr Johnson’s leadership, as he faces anger for allegedly rule-breaking parties in the run up to Christmas last year.
Westminster was on watch for the resignation of ministerial aides, with up to 10 parliamentary private secretaries reported to be preparing to quit in order to rebel against the plans.
Speaking to broadcasters during a visit to to a vaccination clinic near Paddington, in west London, the Prime Minister said: “I think what everybody needs to recognise is a couple of things, that Omicron is a very serious risk to public health, and that it is spreading really fast and there’s no room for complacency.”
He said the vaccines mean the country is in an “incomparably better” position than last year, adding: “And I hope that people will also understand, colleagues in Westminster and around the county, will also see that the measures we’re putting in place are balanced and proportionate.”
Mr Johnson said the vaccine rollout means “we actually have an economy and a society that is more open than virtually any other in Europe”.
He added: “I will make my case to my friends, to the public, to everybody, what drives me in this is concern for public health and what I think is absolutely obvious to everybody who studies the data is, if we can get boosted now, protect ourselves now, then we will have a much, much better chance of having a protected NHS going into next year.”
The Plan B restrictions also include compulsory mask-wearing indoors in most public places, and guidance for people to work from home where possible.
NHS Covid passes showing full vaccination or a recent negative test will be required for entry to indoor venues containing more than 500 people, unseated outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people, and any venue with more than 10,000 people, from Wednesday.
Mr Johnson’s landslide victory in the 2019 general election left him with a Commons majority of about 80 MPs.
If around 75 Tories who have indicated their opposition vote against the measures, rather than abstain, they would deliver an even bigger revolt than against the strengthened tiered system of coronavirus restrictions in December last year, when 55 Tories voted against the measures.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said he was “not going to speculate” ahead of the vote.
Asked what the PM’s message was to MPs thinking of voting against the Government, he said: “We are facing a tidal wave of Omicron and these Plan B measures are a vital part of enabling us to buy time so that we can get more of these booster doses in arms and provide the protection that will protect both lives and livelihoods.
“On the issue of certification, as I said, it requires proof of a negative test unless you are double vaccinated and it allows us to keep some of these settings open, which is vital for hospitality, where otherwise we would have had no choice but to close them, which no one wants to see.”
And he said the Government would keep under review what was considered ‘fully vaccinated’.
The spokesman said there were no plans currently to change this from having had two doses to three, but “we’ll need to keep that under review, in terms of what constitutes fully vaccinated”.
He also said there were public health benefits to the Covid passes.
“In terms of certification specifically, whilst we’re still studying it (Omicron), we believe it is important.”
Asked whether there was a behavioural aspect to encourage people to get their jabs, he said: “Well, that’s certainly something we’ve seen in the past but the Plan B as a package, the aim of it is to buy time whilst we get more jabs in arms.
“But we do want to incentivise the public to get a vaccination or use our testing capability, because that will provide massive protection towards us.”