Gainsborough's MP voted against the Plan B Covid rules

Gainsborough’s MP was one of three Lincolnshire MPs who voted against the Prime Minister’s Plan B rules to help tackle the growing Omicron cases.
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Sir Edward Leigh voted no to the expansion of wearing face coverings, Covid passes and mandatory vaccinations.

Prior to the vote, Sir Edward tweeted: “After always voting with the Government this Parliament, I shall vote against vaccine passports. More and more regulation creates hypocrisy.”

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However despite the backlash the Government has voted in favour of new “Plan B” coronavirus rules to tackle growing Omicron cases.

Gainsborough MP, Sir Edward Leigh, voted against the Plan B rulesGainsborough MP, Sir Edward Leigh, voted against the Plan B rules
Gainsborough MP, Sir Edward Leigh, voted against the Plan B rules

Prior to the vote, Prime Minister Boris Johnson called it a “balanced and proportionate” response to the new variant and said it would help with the Government’s booster jab roll-out.

It came amid a backdrop of controversy for the Conservatives as news reports in recent days and weeks have focussed on parties and other events held at Downing Street last December, when restrictions were previously in place.

As MPs debated the vote, all African countries were also removed from the red travel list. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the Omicron variant had “spread so widely across the world, the travel red list is now less effective”.

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The new measures see vaccine-only Covid passports becoming mandatory for entry to nightclubs and venues of more than 500 indoors, 4,000 unseated outdoors and any venue of more than 10,000 capacity. A negative lateral flow test would also be sufficient. It passed by 369 votes to 126.

A retrospective vote on face masks becoming a legal requirement in most indoor venues passed by 441 votes to 41.

Vaccinated people who come into contact with Covid cases will now be asked to take daily lateral flow tests instead of isolating. This passed without a vote.

And compulsory Covid vaccines to be introduced for frontline NHS workers passed by 385 votes to 100.

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Lincoln MP Karl McCartney and South Holland MP Sir John Hayes were the other two Lincolnshire MPs who were against the plans.

Mr McCartney has previously voted against restrictions and, in a recent tweet, said he would not be supporting the “draconian impositions on our hard fought freedoms and effects on the nation’s economy”.