Johnson stares down MPs, and virus

Two years on from a thumping election victory, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing a stern test of his leadership exacerbated by the rising threat from the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Johnson, who secured a parliamentary majority of 80 seats for his Conservative Party in the 2019 election, could end up relying on votes from the opposition Labour Party to get his latest measures against COVID-19 approved in Parliament this week. The evident loss of support from his own side leaves him facing the biggest internal rebellion against his leadership.

The so-called Plan B of measures, which includes the mandatory wearing of face masks in most public indoor places, and a requirement to have proof of vaccination status to enter many venues, has been brought into play because of the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.

At least one person with the Omicron variant has died in Britain, Johnson said on Monday, since the first UK cases of the new strain were detected on Nov 27.

Lawmakers were expected to vote on Johnson's proposals later on Tuesday. With a threatened rebellion by many Conservative lawmakers, Johnson would have to rely on votes from the Labour Party－an outcome that would amount to another blow for a beleaguered prime minister.

The Guardian newspaper reports that as many as 100 Conservative MPs could vote against the proposals.

Johnson has come in for increasing criticism in recent months, provoking debate over whether he may soon face a leadership challenge.

A series of damaging incidents, most recently over government Christmas parties last year when the country was returning to lockdown, has seen Labour open up a significant lead in many opinion polls, leaving some Conservative MPs concerned about their future, and pointing the finger at Downing Street.

'Immense frustration'

At the December 2019 election, the seat of Barrow and Furness in Cumbria was won by the Conservatives for the first time since 1987. Its MP, Simon Fell, told The Guardian that although he did not underestimate the seriousness of the Omicron variant, he could not support the measures proposed, especially for a so-called vaccine passport.

Another MP, William Wragg, who is on the executive committee of the influential backbench Conservative MPs' 1922 Committee, said he felt "immense frustration" at the government deciding to back a policy it had previously said it would not, adding that such measures were "jumping the gun" and "going too fast".

Later this week, voters will have their chance to pass judgment on Johnson's government, when a by-election takes place in North Shropshire.

Usually a safe Conservative seat, its former MP, Owen Paterson, resigned last month following government attempts to reverse his suspension from Parliament after his breach of lobbying rules provoked public outrage.

Competing with the politics for attention is Omicron, which could lead to around half a million hospitalizations and close to 75,000 deaths in the UK this winter, if no additional control measures are taken, according to modeling.

Scientists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said that in a worst-case scenario, daily infections during January could be twice as high as they were during January 2021, when cases reached record levels.

Stronger measures would be needed to control the wave predicted in the worst-case scenario.

"Nobody wants to endure another lockdown, but last-resort measures may be required to protect health services, if Omicron has a significant level of immune escape, or otherwise increased transmissibility, compared to Delta," said Rosanna Barnard, an epidemiologist at the London hospital who co-led the research.

Agencies and Xinhua contributed to this story.