Boris Johnson Hails U.K. Vaccine News: 'The Scientists Have Done It'

Boris Johnson urged Parliament to approve his new pandemic restrictions for England, telling potential rebels in his Conservative Party the emergence of vaccines means “the end is in sight.”

The prime minister said the government can’t allow the current lockdown to end on Dec. 2 “with no replacement whatever” as he pushed for support for a three-tier regional system of regulations designed to keep the pandemic in check. He said a Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE vaccine could start to be administered before Christmas if it’s approved by the regulator.

“All we need to do now is to hold our nerve until the vaccines are indeed in our grasp and indeed being injected into our arms,” Johnson told the House of Commons. “There remains a compelling case for regional tiers in England, and indeed a compelling necessity.”

Johnson faces a damaging rebellion by dozens of Tory MPs who say his proposed new rules are too harsh and risk damaging the economy. They also complained that areas of low infection are being lumped together with those with a higher incidence in regions facing the strictest rules.

With the opposition Labour Party planning to abstain in Tuesday’s vote, there’s little chance of the government losing. But a sizable rebellion would lay bare the opposition to Johnson’s pandemic strategy on his own side, potentially undermining his leadership.

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