WOKINGHAM MP John Redwood said he voted against a tougher tier system of coronavirus restrictions because his constituents are “very angry” about being moved to Tier 2.
He told the House of Commons that Wokingham “should not be worse off” after the national lockdown because “we still have very low figures”.
The vote passed comfortably (290 for and 78 against) and the restrictions come into effect today, which means more than 55 million people are now living under Tier 2 or Tier 3 measures.
But Mr Redwood was one of 55 Conservative MPs who voted against the new tiers on December 1, during the biggest rebellion of Boris Johnson’s premiership.
READ MORE: Thousands oppose restrictions for people who turn down Covid-19 vaccine
Before the vote, he said: “Many of my constituents are very angry that West Berkshire and Wokingham have been placed in Tier 2 when we were in Tier 1 before the national lockdown and we still have very low figures.
“On all the evidence that the government say they look at — case numbers, trends in cases and available hospital capacity— there seems a very clear case that we should not be worse off as we come out of national lockdown than we were when we went in.
“My constituents will expect me to reflect their anger in the way that I vote tonight.”
He added: “I would far rather work with the government, and I think that on the whole they are doing a very good job in a very difficult circumstance.
“But they could make life easier for themselves if they identified more policies that both bear down on the virus problem and allow the much-needed economic recovery so that we rescue and encourage more livelihoods.”
During the national lockdown, Wokingham’s seven-day infection rate peaked at 154.9 cases per 100,000, but it has fallen to 99.3 cases per 100,000.
No serious concerns have been raised about capacity at local hospitals or the percentage of tests that are coming back positive.
But the government has decided to lump Wokingham in with every other area of Berkshire (except Slough) and impose Tier 2 restrictions.
READ MORE: Covid-19 hotspots in Wokingham revealed
Health Secretary Matt Hancock says more areas have been placed in the top two tiers to “keep people safe and to keep the gains that are being made”.
The Isle of Wight, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are the only three areas of the country that are in Tier 1 (medium alert).
The restrictions will be reviewed by the government on December 16.
The government has announced that it will begin distributing a Covid-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer next week, after it was approved by an independent safety regulator.
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