Coronavirus rebellion shows Tory MPs unwilling to act as lobby fodder

Despite his comfortable majority, the prominence of special-interest groups show his power is not what it seems. Andrew Woodcock explains

Boris Johnson was surrounded in the Commons by Tory MPs sceptical of his virus plans (AFP/Getty)

It wasn’t meant to be like this.

When Boris Johnson scooped a comfortable 80-seat majority in last December’s general election, all seemed set fair for a lengthy period of untrammelled power with no need to fear opposition from the House of Commons to the deep changes he was planning for Britain.

With the dominance granted by his ability to order his troops through the Commons lobbies, Mr Johnson was expecting to be able to govern virtually by fiat, able to swat aside protests from the diminished Labour and Liberal Democrat opposition.