Boris Johnson now faces serious opposition on both sides – from Labour and from his own rebels

Keir Starmer ended the cross-party approach to coronavirus as the prime minister suffered a big rebellion of his own MPs, writes John Rentoul

Boris Johnson leaves No 10 to go to a cabinet meeting this morning (AFP via Getty Images)

Suddenly the pretence of a consensus approach to coronavirus has been abandoned. Keir Starmer ended Labour’s policy of constructive opposition at 5pm, holding a news conference to announce his demand for a two- or three-week “circuit-break” lockdown. Then Conservative MPs voted against their own government at 6pm, in a symbolic vote as a warning that they think the restrictions have gone too far already.

The prime minister was sufficiently alarmed by the rebellion in his own ranks that he made an emergency appearance, by Zoom and in person simultaneously, at a hastily convened meeting of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers just before the vote. It did not prevent 44 of his MPs defying the whip to oppose the 10pm early closing time for pubs and restaurants in most of England.

The vote has no effect, because the 10pm law will be replaced at midnight tonight by the three tiers of restrictions for different parts of the country, depending (roughly) on the level of infection. That law was approved without a division a few minutes before the grand but meaningless gesture.