MPs to get vote on 'rule of six' as Government bids to avert rebellion

MPs will be given a vote on Boris Johnson's controversial "rule of six" next month as Downing Street attempts to head off a full-scale Tory rebellion.

It signals the start of a potential climbdown by Number 10 in the row with backbenchers over ministers' powers to bypass Parliament when they impose Covid-19 restrictions.

More than 40 Tories are prepared to vote against the Government next week to force it to give MPs the final say on new lockdown measures.

Parliament will be given a vote on the "rule of six" on October 6. If MPs vote against the rule, it will be abolished. But the rebels pointed out that, by law, they must be given a retrospective vote on the rule, so Number 10 was merely bringing the date forward and the move would not affect their campaign.

Increasing numbers of Conservative backbenchers are unhappy with the way in which Boris Johnson is handling the pandemic, while Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, was publicly praised by a senior Tory on Friday for his approach to the situation.

On Friday, an Ipsos MORI poll found that the public rates Mr Sunak above the Prime Minister when it comes to leadership qualities, judgment and ability to handle a crisis.

The Chancellor's deputy was forced to deny a rift between the Treasury and Number 10 after Mr Sunak told the public it was time to live "without fear" just days after Mr Johnson had imposed national coronavirus restrictions. Steve Barclay, the chief secretary to the Treasury (see the video below), insisted they were "working in tandem".

On Friday, the Office for Budget Responsibility published new figures showing that the amount of cash borrowed by the Government between April and August was £173.7 billion, more than the record total for an entire year – £157.7 billion – set during the financial crisis of 2009-10.

It said public spending had gone up by 33 per cent compared with the same period last year, after the Office for National Statistics revealed that the national debt had topped £2 trillion for the first time.

Many Tory backbenchers believe the Government is causing unnecessary damage to the economy by imposing over-zealous lockdown measures that mean millions are unable to work and businesses face bankruptcy through no fault of their own.

Next week, a group of between 40 and 80 Tory rebels will try to force the Government to give Parliament a vote on whether new restrictions should be introduced.

Although it is unclear whether the Speaker will allow their proposed amendment to the Coronavirus Act – which is due to be renewed six months after it was first passed – the rebels believe the Government is close to agreeing a compromise.

One said: "We have spoken to ministers who have said they don't want to have a fight over this – ultimately, we don't want to have a fight over this either, but we are not going to back down. We have had constructive conversations with the Government and with the chief whip, so let's see where we end up." Downing Street said it was "working to ensure" that MPs have their say.

Since January, ministers have laid 242 coronavirus-related regulations using 100 Acts of Parliament without the need for votes on them.

Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs, who tabled the amendment, wrote in The Telegraph that Parliament did not surrender its role during the Second World War, when the Commons was bombed, and should not do so now.

He said: "It is precisely when the stakes are highest that democratic scrutiny matters most," adding that precious freedoms should not be taken away on the "whim" of a Government minister.

Tom Tugehdhat, the Tory chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said on Friday he was "sure the Prime Minister is running the Government, but I think Rishi Sunak did an extremely impressive job yesterday".

He added: "I have to say he enjoys huge amounts of confidence on Conservative benches, and when I speak to people around the country, and certainly the people I represent in Kent, he has huge support as well."

The Ipsos MORI poll found that 54 per cent of people thought Mr Sunak "good in a crisis" compared with 32 per cent for Mr Johnson, while 41 per cent regarded him as a capable leader, compared with 37 per cent for the Prime Minister.

Mr Sunak (watch the Chancellor addressing the Commons about his new Job Support Scheme in the video below) also won 41-27 on honesty, 49-30 on sound judgment and 47-30 on being a good representative for Britain. Mr Johnson only beat him on patriotism and personality.

As the latest borrowing figures were released on Friday, economists suggested Mr Sunak would have to consider breaking the Tory manifesto promise of a "tax triple lock" that prevents increases in income tax, VAT or National Insurance.

Adding 1p to income tax would raise £5.7 billion, a one per cent increase in VAT would raise another £7.2 billion and a unified rate of National Insurance for the employed and self-employed would add another £6.4 billion, making a total of £19.3 billion.

The Chancellor has delayed the autumn Budget until next year, and is understood to want to postpone tax rises until the economy starts to recover, meaning he could wait until March 2022 before delivering the bad news.

Charlie McCurdy, of the Resolution Foundation think tank, said: "Tax rises will be needed to put the public finances back on a sustainable footing."