Boris Johnson is facing a massive parliamentary revolt over the way he is imposing Covid-19 restrictions on the British people without first consulting MPs – amid new signs that confidence in his leadership is collapsing in the Conservative party and across the country.
An extraordinary cross-party backlash against Johnson’s “rule by diktat” from Downing Street was taking shape on Saturday – ahead of a key vote on Wednesday – as a new poll by Opinium for the Observer showed Labour has overtaken the Tories for the first time since Keir Starmer became leader in April.
The survey, which will sow more doubts among Conservative MPs about Johnson and his teams in No 10 and the cabinet, puts Labour on 42%, three points ahead – a rise of three points in a fortnight – with Johnson’s party dropping to 39% (down three).
Starmer has also pulled well ahead when voters are asked who would make the best prime minister, with 36% choosing the Labour leader (up four points), and…
