I never thought I’d agree with a posh Tory MP – but confinement has turned us into a bunch of wimps

The government voted this week to continue restrictions into the autumn, and Labour MPs were cowed into submission. What has happened to debate and opposition, asks Janet Street-Porter

Sir Charles Walker debating the Covid restrictions in parliament on Thursday (UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/PA)

I never thought I would agree with a posh Tory MP whose idea of protest is carrying a pint of milk around instead of a placard. But I do. Sir Charles Walker stood up in parliament on Thursday and announced that his personal stand against continuing Covid restrictions would take the form of... a pint of milk.

Sir Charles will be carrying this carton around with him for the coming weeks as a token gesture of defiance, since public gatherings are OK under the coronavirus rules, so long as they are for the purposes of protest. He could be a bit whiffy by next week, but I get the point.

This week, the government voted to continue restrictions into the autumn, and Labour MPs were cowed into submission. What has happened to debate and opposition? Have months of confinement turned us into a bunch of wimps willing to hand over our freedom because of advice from a group of non-elected scientists and experts, many of whom disagree with each other?