MPs back lockdown amid claims it will destroy the economy
England will be plunged into a second national lockdown tomorrow after MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of month-long restrictions.
Boris Johnson said the lockdown - which is planned to last until December 2 - is needed to "contain the surge of the autumn virus", protect the NHS and help save "many" lives.
It was backed in the Commons by 516 votes to 38, despite MPs from both sides of the House criticising the move.
A number of Tory MPs voted against the measures, including former party leader Iain Duncan Smith who said the 'circuit breaker' lockdown was a "business breaker" that would destroy the economy.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his party had backed the restrictions with a "heavy heart", as a lockdown was "the only chance of getting the virus back under control".
Under the new rules, which start at 00.01 tomorrow, much of the hospitality industry will be shut down, including pubs and restaurants, although takeaways and deliveries can stay open.
Essential shops, such as supermarkets, and educational settings will also remain open. Outdoor exercise is allowed, and foreign travel has been banned.
It came as scientists said there was a "small chance" of a Covid vaccine being available by Christmas.
Mr Johnson said the lockdown was "not something that any of us wanted to do", and that he felt "the pain and anxiety that we're all going to share in the month ahead".
He told the Commons: "As Prime Minister, when I'm confronted with data that projects our NHS could even collapse, with deaths in the second wave potentially exceeding those in the first, and when I look at what is happening now among some of our continental friends, and I see doctors who have tested positive being ordered to work on Covid wards and patients airlifted to hospital in some other countries simply to make space, I can reach only one conclusion.
"I'm not prepared to take the risk with the lives of the British people."
The PM warned people could be "turned away" from hospitals if they are over-run with Covid cases, describing the virus as an "existential threat" to the NHS.
He added that a "fresh mandate" will be required when the measures expire next month.
Midland MPs vote in favour
Across the Midlands MPs voted in favour of the lockdown.
Tory Chairman Amanda Milling, the Conservative MP for Cannock Chase, said that while it goes against her instincts as a "freedom loving Conservative", the lockdown was necessary if the country wants to defeat the virus.
She added: "The way ahead won’t be easy, or without painful choices for us all, but if we work together now, we can halt the spread of the virus."
Lichfield MP Michael Fabricant said he backed the lockdown "to halt the rapid rise in infection rates".
He said there was now "a very clear light at the end of the dark Covid tunnel" in the form of a vaccine, which he said he expected to be introduced "imminently".
"The logistics in vaccinating our population is immense," Mr Fabricant said. "At first those most vulnerable to infection, including those working on the front line in the NHS, will be vaccinated.
"But as more and more of the population are vaccinated and become immune or less susceptible to Covid 19, we can all begin to return to a more normal life."
Stuart Anderson, the Conservative MP for Wolverhampton South West, also voted to lockdown, and urged the Prime Minister to ensure that places of worship "open as soon as practically possible".
Expressing her support for the lockdown, West Bromwich East's Tory MP, Nicola Richards, said: "We all need to take action now and pull together to give our heroes on the frontline of the NHS the best possible chance to save as many lives as possible.
"The message now is very clear – we must stay at home once more."
Walsall North MP Eddie Hughes, said: "Additional restrictions may be frustrating for some, but they are absolutely necessary."
Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski also backed the lockdown, saying it had been "a very difficult decision" for the PM.
Earlier today Professor Andrew Pollard, head of Oxford University's vaccine trial team, said he was optimistic that data on the safety and efficacy of their vaccine will be available by the end of the year.
Asked whether a vaccine may be available by Christmas, he told the Science and Technology Committee: "I think there is a small chance of that being possible, but I just don't know."
