Boris Johnson cancelled a major address to business leaders this morning as he attempts to stave off a rebellion by up to 40 Tory MPs over a second lockdown.
The prime minister and the government’s scientific advisers are holding meetings with small groups of Tory MPs in an attempt to convince them of the need for action. Dame Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry, said it was a “shame” that the prime minister had had to pull out of their conference.
Mr Johnson will tell parliament today that the government “will seek” to ease the restrictions on December 2 and return to tiered regional lockdowns.
He will warn that failure to act now would cause deaths over the winter to become “twice
