What does a large rebellion mean for Boris?

Coffee House Shots

The Spectator

News, Politics, Government, Daily News

4.4 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 14 December 2021

⏱️ 12 minutes

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Summary

Christopher Whitty has told the public he expects a 'significant increase' in Omicron hospitalisations over the next few weeks. The chief medical officer is concerned about the pressures this new variant will put on the NHS. Could he be overreacting? In contrast, there are encouraging signs coming from South Africa that continue to show that Omicron is less severe than Delta.

The Commons vote on vaccine passports is looming where Boris Johnson could face a rebellion larger than his majority. The vote this evening is currently predicted to have over 80 rebels that want to send a message to the Prime Minister:

'The worry is that the vaccine program, something that Boris Johnson has taken huge political capital from, is starting to fade as a success story for a lot of voters' - Isabel Hardman.

To discuss this and the North Shropshire by-election, Katy Balls is joined by Isabel Hardman and James Forsyth.

Subscribe to The Spectator's Evening Blend email, from Isabel Hardman and Katy Balls, for analysis of the day's political news and a summary of the best pieces from our website. Go to www.spectator.co.uk/blend to sign up.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Coffeehouse Shots is sponsored by NatWest, the bank that's helping small businesses build back better and greener.
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0:29.3	Hello and welcome to Coffee House Shots and Spectators' Daily Politics Podcast.
0:33.9	I'm Katie Bors and I'm joined by James Forsyfe and Isabel Hardman.
0:38.4	This morning cabinet met and James Chris Witty gave an update on Omicron.
0:45.0	Yes, he talks about how it is still doubling in two to three days and he said that it's too
0:51.2	early to say if cases were plateauing in South Africa.
0:55.0	And it's also too early to say whether Omicron is less severe than Delta,
1:02.0	the previously dominant strain in the UK.
1:05.0	And he was warning of a big coming increase in hospitalisations because of the rise in cases. Now, I think for understandable
1:13.9	reasons, Crystal Whitty is presenting quite a pessimistic scenario. There's a new report out from
1:20.8	Discovery Health, a big South African healthcare firm, which is written up on Coffee House, and that
1:27.3	is suggesting that Omicron
1:28.2	is less severe in terms of the effects that it has on people than Delta, which I think is an
1:35.1	encouraging sign. And there's also some encouraging signs from South Africa. And it's, yes, it is very
1:40.2	early to say, but the dramatic rise in cases they saw there might well be slowing.
1:45.6	So I think what Christa Wittie's comments represent is that the government is, and certainly
1:50.8	the chief medical officer, which he is, is still very worried about what pressure is going to
1:55.1	be put on the NHS by this new variant and how rapidly it appears to be spreading.
2:00.2	But I think there are some more
	...

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