Turn Our Tiers Into Their Tears

All three Labour MPs from County Durham have voted against the new tiers system. Two are Corbyn supporters, and Jeremy Corbyn himself also voted against, joined by several close allies. But the third is Kevan Jones, who might delicately be described as a whole other story.

Yet all three Conservatives here have voted in favour, even though their constituencies were broadly more rural, so that the idea is even more ridiculous that they might be at greater risk of Covid-19 in those constituencies than they were in London.

Like only one of the Conservatives, another three of the Labour rebels were also from the North East. And yes, two of them were staunch Corbynites, while the other was also at least broadly of the Left. But even so. The anger up here is very, very intense. Our R numbers had been going down, and all the rest of it. This favouring of London will not be forgotten. That plague pit has been classified as Tier Two on the most specious grounds, yet even Teesdale, Weardale and North Northumberland are in Tier Three. 

There was no EVEL ruling on this division. There were Scottish and Welsh Conservatives who voted with the Government, while there were Welsh Conservatives who voted against, as did the DUP. The abstentions were entirely voluntary on the part of the SNP, Plaid Cymru, the SDLP, and the Alliance Party.

And rebels are just rebels. Labour and the Liberal Democrats were whipped to abstain, all but 15 Labour MPs (or 16 if you include Corbyn) did as they were told, and there were no Lib Dem rebels at all. Caroline Lucas also abstained.

Do not vote Conservative. Do not vote Labour. Do not vote Liberal Democrat. Do not vote Green. I am the Independent parliamentary candidate for North West Durham. What are you doing?