Tuesday 30 November 2021

COMMONS APPROVES FACE MASKS

A small number of actual real conservatives have failed to derail the Tory government's latest Covid restrictions.  19 backbenchers rebelled in Tuesday's retroactive vote on face masks, but the measures were approved by a whopping 433-22.  Despite the imposition of the rule, some Tory MPs still refused to wear them as the Commons debated something that had already been enacted.

The 19 Tory rebels were as follows.

Steve Baker (Wycombe)
Graham Brady (Altrincham & Sale West)
Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire)
Christopher Chope (Christchurch)
Philip Davies (Shipley)
Jackie Doyle-Price (Thurrock)
Richard Drax (South Dorset)
Mr Mark Francois (Rayleigh & Wickford)
Chris Green (Bolton West)
Mark Jenkinson (Workington)
Pauline Latham (Mid-Derbyshire)
Andrew Lewer (Northampton South)
Karl McCartney (Lincoln)
Esther McVey (Tatton)
Andrew Percy (Brigg & Goole)
Greg Smith (Buckingham)
Robert Symns (Poole)
Charles Walker (Broxbourne)
William Wragg (Hazel Grove)

Phillip Hollobone and Craig McKinlay were tellers for the noes.

Three DUP members also voted against the measures, despite them not affecting Northern Ireland.

69 Tories did not vote or abstained.  The renewed measures were overwhelmingly supported by Labour MPs (156 from 199, the rest did not vote or abstained).

A further vote on new self-isolation measures passed by 431-36.

Tory lockdown sceptic Steve Baker delivered a seven-minute denunciation of his government's latest repressive and over-the-top moves.  His full speech can be seen below.