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Hello and welcome to you, Coffeehouse Shots, the Spectator's Daily Politics Podcast.

I'm Isabel Hardman and this is the Sunday Roundup. This week, the government will seek to

extend the Coronavirus Act for further six months. The Act, which was first passed almost exactly one

year ago, has been met with serious discontent from many Conservative backbenchers. Steve Baker,

the Deputy Chair of the COVID Recovery Group, told Sophie Ridge why he would be voting against

extending the Act. It looks like the government will of course get their business with an enormous

majority. But I do think it's important that some of us do seek to hold the government to account

with these extraordinary powers. It's obviously a very uncomfortable position for some of us to be in

when it's our own party. And that's why we're trying to do it in a civilised way, asking reasonable

questions. But the government will get its way. And at this stage I wouldn't like to say how big any rebellion will be.

Of course, the plan out of these restrictions is a path to freedom.

It's just, unfortunately, we believe, many of us believe, that it squanders the advantages of our great vaccination programme. So it's difficult to see

how very many people will want to vote against a path to freedom, but we'll need to look at exactly

the detail. But the Coronavirus Act itself, I am expecting to vote squarely against. I think it's

excessive and disproportionate. And the government itself now isn't using its powers. And where the police gain powers in the Act, as I've said, it's a 100% unlawful prosecution

rate. So I think the Coronavirus Act should now go. That would not put the furlough scheme at risk.

We've double-checked that and had it confirmed by the House of Commons Library. So obviously,

there's a lot to look at this week, but the government

really does need to start taking advantage of their own great success on the vaccination program.

...