Boris Johnson news: Senior Tory MP says government ‘ruling by decree’ over new Covid powers

A senior Tory has accused the government of "ruling by decree" for "imposing" new coronavirus restrictions without proper debate and voting procedures.

Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers, told the BBC that ministers were treating the British people "like children", as regulations such as the “rule of six” have not been subject to sufficient scrutiny by MPs.

Mr Brady’s remarks came a day before Boris Johnson is scheduled to convene a Cobra meeting to discuss the government’s emergency response to the rapidly increasing number of Covid-19 infections in the UK.

Meanwhile former prime minister Theresa May accused the government of acting “recklessly and irresponsibly” over the UK Internal Market Bill - which ministers admit would break international law by overriding the prime minister’s Brexit deal.