The UK House of Commons on Tuesday approved a government motion envisaging a three-tier system for stricter measures to curb the spread of coronavirus across England. The new system will come into force as of Wednesday 00:01 GMT soon after the expiry of the lockdown which has been in force since Nov. 5; and will last until next Spring. The government motion was passed by 291 votes to 78. Fifty-three Tories and 15 Labour MPs voted against while the opposition parties, mainly the Labour, abstained. The majority of regions, or over 55 million people in the country, fall under the two strictest tiers, according to a BBC report. A government spokesman welcomed the result of the vote, saying it will "help to safeguard the gains made during the past month and keep the virus under control." The Conservatives' government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson will continue working with MPs who have expressed concern over the situation of the pandemic in recent days, he added. Earlier on Wednesday, the Department of Health and Social Care reported 603 more deaths from coronavirus, which took the country's death toll to 59,050. As many as 13,430 additional infections raided the caseload to more than 1,643,000. Johnson had faced a damaging Tory rebellion, with over 50 of the party's MPs voting against the measures , which will affect 99 percent of the country and put some constituencies under tighter controls than before the lockdown. Labour abstained from the vote, with Sir Keir Starmer saying his party had "serious misgivings" about the plans but added that it would not be in the national interest to vote them down as restrictions were still necessary. Asked if he is worried about future votes going forward, considering the Tory rebellion, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: "We listened to MPs on all sides of the House. We've passed this vote with a majority of over 200. "The most striking thing about the numbers is that the leader of the Labour Party, Keir Starmer, abstained on the biggest issue facing the country today as we go through this pandemic and he's got nothing to say about it, no leadership, doesn't know what he thinks, or what the country should do." The division list from the vote showed there were 53 Conservative MPs who voted against the COVID-19 restrictions. They were joined by 15 Labour MPs, eight DUP and two independent MPs. However Tory Jamie Wallis voted both aye and no, which is usually regarded as a formal abstention if done during a division. Among those voting against the measures was the former Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn. The Islington North MP tweeted: "I voted against the government's proposals tonight. I don't believe the measures are what is needed to drive down the levels of the virus. The financial support packages being offered are inadequate, inconsistent and unfair to many areas." — Agencies
