tonight at 10pm... borisjohnson suffers the biggest conservative rebellion since he became prime minister in votes on new covid rules for england. the eyes to the right, 369. the noes the left, 126. there were 99 conservative mps against the introduction of mandatory covid passes for large venues, leaving boris johnson relying on the support of the labour leader. this is a very significant blow to the already—damaged authority of the prime minister. it's confirms that he's too weak to discharge the basic functions of government. but the measure still passed, as did those on wearing face coverings indoors as ministers expressed frustration with the vote. it's incredibly difficult. you know, who would want to be leading during this pandemic? who would want to be making the decisions that we've had to make? in scotland, people are being urged to limit their social contacts before and after christmas. we'll have the latest on the rapid spread of the new variant of coronavirus causing deep concern in government. also tonight... followng the violent death of a 16—month—old girl in bradford a woman is found guilty of murdering her partner's child. and a big test of public opinion when the voters of north shropshire go to the polls to choose a new mp on thursday. and coming up in the sport on the bbc news channel — manchester city are back in premier league action playing leeds united as they look to move four points clear at the top. good evening. boris johnson suffered the biggest conservative rebellion since he became prime minister when the house of commons voted tonight on new covid rules for england. 99 conservative mps voted against the introduction of mandatory covid passes for people to enter large venues such as nightclubs. but the measure still passed as did those on wearing face coverings indoors. thanks to labour support. new rules on self isolation for people coming into contact with those who test positive and mandatory vaccination for health and care workers. the government is deeply concerned about the sharp rise in cases of the omicron variant. let's join our deputy political editor, vicki young, at westminster. it has been a very rocky few weeks for the prime minister. tonight, it got a whole lot worse. yes, he got his measures through, but certainly not in the way he would have wanted to come with a massive helping hand from his political opponents. conservative mps have been pretty unhappy, notjust about covid restrictions and the endless stream of stories about partying and how mr johnson has responded himself. tonight, they took the opportunity to tell him how unhappy they were. fix, to tell him how unhappy they were. a government win... the noes to the right— government win... the noes to the right 369 — government win... the noes to the right 369. the noes to the left, 126. ~ ., right 369. the noes to the left, 126-- 0uch!- _ right 369. the noes to the left, 126.- 0uch!. but - right 369. the noes to the left, 126.- 0uch!. but only - right 369. the noes to the left, 126. wow! 0uch!. but only with the hel of 126. wow! 0uch!. but only with the help of labour— 126. wow! 0uch!. but only with the help of labour mps, _ 126. wow! 0uch!. but only with the help of labour mps, that's the biggest rebellion borisjohnson has suffered. a huge number of his own side ignoring his pleas, refusing to accept the case he's made for more restrictions. accept the case he's made for more restrictions-— restrictions. so, the ayes have it, the a es restrictions. so, the ayes have it, the ayes have _ restrictions. so, the ayes have it, the ayes have it, _ restrictions. so, the ayes have it, the ayes have it, unlock. - the ayes have it, unlock. tonight, the ayes have it, unlock. tonight, the comet — the ayes have it, unlock. tonight, the comet were _ the ayes have it, unlock. tonight, the comet were putting _ the ayes have it, unlock. tonight, the comet were putting on - the ayes have it, unlock. tonight, the comet were putting on a - the ayes have it, unlock. tonight, | the comet were putting on a brave face. {iii the comet were putting on a brave face. .., , , , . face. of course it is difficult, every decision _ face. of course it is difficult, every decision has _ face. of course it is difficult, every decision has costs - face. of course it is difficult, every decision has costs and | every decision has costs and consequences. we are weighing it up all the _ consequences. we are weighing it up all the time. we have decided we need _ all the time. we have decided we need to— all the time. we have decided we need to buy time, we really do need to slow_ need to buy time, we really do need to slow down this unbelievably transmissible virus so we can get everybody— transmissible virus so we can get everybody vaccinated. but transmissible virus so we can get everybody vaccinated. but labour say it's a reflection _ everybody vaccinated. but labour say it's a reflection on _ everybody vaccinated. but labour say it's a reflection on mr _ everybody vaccinated. but labour say it's a reflection on mrjohnson - everybody vaccinated. but labour say it's a reflection on mrjohnson and . it's a reflection on mrjohnson and the way he governs. this it's a reflection on mrjohnson and the way he governs.— the way he governs. this is a very significant — the way he governs. this is a very significant blow _ the way he governs. this is a very significant blow to _ the way he governs. this is a very significant blow to the _ the way he governs. this is a very significant blow to the already - significant blow to the already damaged _ significant blow to the already damaged authority— significant blow to the already damaged authority of- significant blow to the already damaged authority of the - significant blow to the already. damaged authority of the prime ministeh — damaged authority of the prime ministeh it_ damaged authority of the prime minister. it confirms _ damaged authority of the prime minister. it confirms that - damaged authority of the prime minister. it confirms that he's l damaged authority of the prime l minister. it confirms that he's too weak— minister. it confirms that he's too weak to— minister. it confirms that he's too weak to discharge _ minister. it confirms that he's too weak to discharge basic _ minister. it confirms that he's too weak to discharge basic functions| minister. it confirms that he's too . weak to discharge basic functions of government — weak to discharge basic functions of government. these _ weak to discharge basic functions of government. these public- weak to discharge basic functions of government. these public health. government. these public health measures— government. these public health measures would _ government. these public health measures would not _ government. these public health measures would not have - government. these public health measures would not have gone l measures would not have gone through if lahour— measures would not have gone through if labour hadn't — measures would not have gone through if labour hadn't shown _ measures would not have gone through if labour hadn't shown at _ measures would not have gone through if labour hadn't shown at the _ if labour hadn't shown at the leadership— if labour hadn't shown at the leadership that _ if labour hadn't shown at the leadership that the _ if labour hadn't shown at the leadership that the prime - if labour hadn't shown at the - leadership that the prime minister failed _ leadership that the prime minister failed to— leadership that the prime minister failed to show. _ leadership that the prime minister failed to show.— leadership that the prime minister failed to show. after 20 months of on - off covid _ failed to show. after 20 months of on - off covid restrictions, - failed to show. after 20 months of on - off covid restrictions, many. on — off covid restrictions, many conservatives have had enough. this was 'ust a conservatives have had enough. ti 3 wasjust a bridge conservatives have had enough. ti 3 was just a bridge too far. vaccine passports today, what tomorrow or a week down the road? they were putting a marker down. it has been proven in scotland, vaccine passports don't work and don't stop infection. it was a cry of pain from the conservative party. ihla the conservative party. no prime minister wants _ the conservative party. no prime minister wants to _ the conservative party. no prime minister wants to rely _ the conservative party. no prime minister wants to rely on - the conservative party. no prime minister wants to rely on the - minister wants to rely on the opposition to get their own policies through and the prime minister spent the day trying to persuade his own mps. addressing them here in the commons, he said the government had absolutely no choice but to act and said that this variant was spreading so quickly, that the numbers that could end up in hospital would be disastrous. he wanted them to back new measures, including compulsory vaccinations for nhs staff, more masks, and covid passes or a negative test before entering large venues. earlier, the health secretary had tried to win them round. i secretary had tried to win them round. , , round. i firmly believe in individual _ round. i firmly believe in individual liberty - round. i firmly believe in individual liberty and - round. i firmly believe in | individual liberty and that round. i firmly believe in - individual liberty and that the curbs should be placed on our freedoms only in the most gravest of circumstances. it is vital we act early and in a proportional way, doing whatever we can to build our defences and to preserve greater freedom for the long term. but there was no mistaking _ freedom for the long term. but there was no mistaking the _ freedom for the long term. but there was no mistaking the anger - freedom for the long term. but there was no mistaking the anger amongst| was no mistaking the anger amongst conservative mps. i am was no mistaking the anger amongst conservative mps._ conservative mps. i am staggered by the government's _ conservative mps. i am staggered by the government's approach - conservative mps. i am staggered by the government's approach over - conservative mps. i am staggered by the government's approach over the | the government's approach over the last two— the government's approach over the last two weeks in which we have used fear to— last two weeks in which we have used fear to persuade people. i believe that no— fear to persuade people. i believe that no government should ever use fear as— that no government should ever use fear as a _ that no government should ever use fear as a tool to try and persuade its citizens — fear as a tool to try and persuade its citizens-_ its citizens. freedom is not an abstract ideology. _ its citizens. freedom is not an abstract ideology. freedom i its citizens. freedom is not an abstract ideology. freedom is| its citizens. freedom is not an - abstract ideology. freedom is what enables— abstract ideology. freedom is what enables my— abstract ideology. freedom is what enables my constituents _ abstract ideology. freedom is what enables my constituents to - abstract ideology. freedom is what enables my constituents to see - abstract ideology. freedom is what. enables my constituents to see their family. _ enables my constituents to see their family. to _ enables my constituents to see their family, to comfort the _ enables my constituents to see their family, to comfort the dying, to- family, to comfort the dying, to go to school, — family, to comfort the dying, to go to school, to — family, to comfort the dying, to go to school, to go to _ family, to comfort the dying, to go to school, to go to work. _ family, to comfort the dying, to go to school, to go to work. that - to school, to go to work. that is not freedomm _ to school, to go to work. that is not freedom. . ._ to school, to go to work. that is not freedom... the liberal democrat leader, not freedom... the liberal democrat leader. who — not freedom... the liberal democrat leader, who has _ not freedom... the liberal democrat leader, who has joined _ not freedom... the liberal democrat leader, who has joined a _ not freedom... the liberal democrat leader, who has joined a growing - leader, who hasjoined a growing list of mps who have, today, tested positive for covid, is questioning how effective some of the government's measures are. we think the covid id — government's measures are. we think the covid id cards _ government's measures are. we think the covid id cards or _ government's measures are. we think the covid id cards or passports as - the covid id cards or passports as they are called would give people a false sense of security because you can be double jab, boosterjabs and transmit the virus. liberal democrat support a better option to insist on negative lateral flow tests. the prime minister's _ negative lateral flow tests. the prime minister's authority has taken a hit in the past few weeks and his supporters worry he'll struggle to get his party and the country behind him. that was particularly striking this evening, because borisjohnson evening, because boris johnson decided evening, because borisjohnson decided to personally intervene. he went to the house of commons, he went to the house of commons, he went in a room face—to—face with many of the potential rebels. he made that case and, yet, an hour later, almost 100 of them decided to ignore it. now, this morning, the cabinet, we are told, and pretty grave terms, they will —— there will be rising cases of covid add more hospitalisations. the problem for the prime minister is that he doesn't have the backing of dozens and dozens of his own mps to deal with this public health crisis. it is not the time for a breakdown in trust between the prime minister and his party. vicki, many thanks. vicki young in westminster. the uk has today recorded the highest daily number of new covid cases since the 9th of january with close to 60 thousand. england's chief medical officer chris whitty has warned the hospitals are facing a significant increase in the number of covid patients being admitted and long queues have continued at vaccination centres across the uk. our health editor, hugh pym, reports. high—level concern about the new variant is increasing and the rapid roll—out of boosterjabs is seen as a vital part of the official response. there was no shortage of people queueing for boosters in bristol today, though finding staff to do them hasn't been easy. it is difficult to recruit enough staff, both vaccinators and admin people. and they've all been working on this programme since the beginning of the year. and in swindon, a long queue as well and a wait of several hours. i've been here since nine o'clock, and i'm supposed to have work at two o'clock but they told me that the queue's going to be until 3.30. not happy. i've got better things to doi than stand here in a queue. just underfive hours, and when we got in there, there were only two people jabbing. long lines had built up after the acceleration of the booster offer to more adults. since the system in england was opened up to people aged 30 and over early on monday morning, around a million people have booked their boosters, and that doesn't include walk—ins. the question now — can that momentum be maintained? at some vaccine centres, deliveries fell behind and there were temporary closures. extremely high demand, according to officials, meant there were no slots to book pcr tests this morning in england, though this changed as the day wore on with availability in all regions. rebecca has been struggling to book a pcr test since being in contact with a positive case on friday. the frustration i have is i'm trying to follow guidelines and that's proven difficult. and i just want surety for myself that i can go out and also to know that i'm not putting other people at risk, especially with the build—up to christmas. it wasn't possible to book lateral flow tests online in england. they're now required daily for anyone who has been in contact with someone who is infected. at some pharmacies they weren't available either, though officials say stocks haven't run out. we need an increase in deliveries of lateral flow tests to us so that we can then give them out. at the minute, we're only receiving 50 a day. we need to be closer to 200, 300. get your covid—19 booster vaccine to strengthen your protection. please get boosted now. england's chief medical officer made his plea in a tv advert tonight. earlier, he'd warned ministers of a likely increase in hospital numbers, a view echoed by other senior officials. we are concerned with the large volume of individuals who are being infected every day in the population that we are going to have a very difficult four weeks ahead with cases in the community which will, of course, cause individuals do need to stay off work and school, and then for those cases to transfer into admissions to hospital. would you like some hand sanitiser? prince charles was backing the booster effort today, visiting a vaccination and thanking volunteers. officials are hoping that the drive to jab more people can keep up with the spread of the virus. hugh pym, bbc news. the first minister of scotland nicola sturgeon says the number of cases of omicron is increasing faster than any previous variant. she urged people across scotland to limit their social contacts before and after christmas, though she stressed it was advice not a legal requirement. our scotland correspondent, james shaw, reports. it certainly felt like christmas was coming at this market in glasgow, butjust how much will the new variant affect celebrations in scotland? ahead of nicola sturgeon's statement, shoppers were anxious about omicron and the impact it might have on their lives. the plan is to go to my son's and daughter—in—law�*s for christmas, spend it with the wee one, since it's herfirst one and my worry is we won't be able to. in a broadcast this evening, the first minister said that before and after christmas itself people should limit socialising indoors to no more than three households. we are not banning household mixing in law as we had to do before. we know the impact of this on mental health and i am not asking you to cancel or change your plans for christmas day, boxing day, or whenever you have your main festive celebration. but in the run up to and in the aftermath of christmas, i am asking, i am appealing to everyone, to cut down, as far as possible, our contacts with people in other households. earlier at holyrood, the scottish conservatives said ms sturgeon should have moved faster on booster vaccinations. week after week, my party- has come to the chamber and asked the first minister to— prepare to bring in mass vaccination centres, but only now, only today, has that been accepted. _ the first minister's statement also included legally—enforceable measures to stop crowding and maintain physical distancing in shops and hospitality venues. and there'll be £200 million to support businesses affected by the changes, and to help people to self—isolate. nicola sturgeon was adamant she did not want to cancel christmas. nevertheless, these changes will make big differences to people's festive season. there's definitely an atmosphere in the air, people are just getting a bit more worried and people are not going to have the christmas they hoped for. i feel like, by now, - people have stopped caring a little bit, especially now with the festive spirit. - people are kind of desperate to go out and socialise _ and go back to their normal lives. with things going on at downing street and parties and things like that, itjust makes you think, "what's the point if they're not sticking to it?" the first minister set out a plan which is designed to see scotland through the winter, but no—one can predict with certaintyjust how severe this new wave will be. james shaw, bbc news, glasgow. our nightly look at the official figures. the uk has today recorded one of its highest daily number of new infections to date. there were 59,610 new cases in the latest 24—hour period — the highest number since 9th january, meaning on average nearly 5a,000 new cases were reported each day in the past week. the number of people in hospital with covid stands at 7,672. 150 deaths were recorded — that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. 114 covid—related deaths were recorded on average every day in the past week. on vaccinations, an average ofjust over 450,000 have had a boosterjab every day over the past seven days, with the total boosterjab number now more than 2a million. the world health organization says it's concerned that people are dismissing the omicron variant as a mild threat. it says that even if omicron does lead to less severe disease the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm the health system across the uk. our health editor hugh pym is with me. it is rather telling the authorities are once again having to warn people not to be misled by this. yes. are once again having to warn people not to be misled by this.— not to be misled by this. yes, the who is making — not to be misled by this. yes, the who is making the _ not to be misled by this. yes, the who is making the central- not to be misled by this. yes, the who is making the central point i not to be misled by this. yes, the i who is making the central point that it is the sheer number of cases which is the problem because inevitably a certain number will need hospital treatment. that is the worry. they go on to say that this could overwhelm underprepared health systems. this is what is really worrying ministers and officials in the uk's nations. could the nhs really be stretched close to being overwhelmed? to that end nhs leaders in england have sent letters to hospitals today urging them to start moving medically fit patients out of hospitals into temporary care, perhaps in hospices or in hotels, just to prepare for a possible surge ahead. nicola sturgeon has made the point that even if this wave is largely of mild infections, that still affects the economy because of staff absences and the impact on public services. the uk of course is not the only country affected by this, the netherlands has announced todayit this, the netherlands has announced today it is extending its existing lockdown restrictions right through christmas because of concerns about the variant. there was better news today from pfizer which has reported the latest data on trials of its antiviral covid pill, it says it is 90% effective in preventing hospital admissions amongst those who are most vulnerable, and it thinks that effectiveness does extend to on the ground. effectiveness does extend to on the round. , . , ., ground. hugh pym, many thanks. hugh ' m with ground. hugh pym, many thanks. hugh pym with the — ground. hugh pym, many thanks. hugh pym with the latest _ ground. hugh pym, many thanks. hugh pym with the latest analysis. _ ground. hugh pym, many thanks. hugh pym with the latest analysis. let's - pym with the latest analysis. let's turn to some of the day's other stories. a woman in bradford has been found guilty of murdering her girlfriend's16—month—old child. star hobson endured months of assaults and psychological harm at the hands of 28—year—old savannah brockhill. a jury at bradford crown court cleared the little girl's mother frankie smith of murder and manslaughter but convicted her of causing or allowing her daughter's death. our north of england correspondent danny savage's report contains distressing details. star hobson, a happy little girl seen here with her great—grandfather. but over a period of months she changed from this. you are about to see a distressing image of start a distressing image of star asleep covered in bruises. she was always allowed to stay with her abusers despite being seen by police and social workers. come here. are you running from me? hollyjones used to babysit star and was the first to raise concerns. bruises on her face and things, and i'd bring it up and they'd be like, "oh, she fell." or they'd always have straightaway an excuse. but the more kind of bruises i'd see and the way she was acting, itjust came a bit clear to me that it wasn't right. david fawcett and his partner anita compared star's plight to baby p, the 17—month—old boy who died in north london despite being well known to children's services. they had a chilling conversation with a social worker. anita says, "well, you don't want another baby p on your hands, do you?" and she said, "how do you mean?" so anita said, "well, just think about it, you know, that little baby p a couple of years ago. he got let down by social services so we just want you to go see what the problem is here." but that was it, we never heard a thing. theyjust said the case was closed and that was that. star's own mother and her partner lied repeatedly about how she had been hurt while subjecting her to a horrific campaign of abuse. frankie smith and savannah brockhill deprived their little girl of sleep and played cruel psychological tricks on her. pretty gin. — you're a spoiled, pretty girl. star hobson was anything but spoiled. and if you want to - keep your kneecaps... amateur boxer brockhill was routinely violent towards star and called herself a psychopath. she is with the number one psycho. to me she wasjust pure evil. ijust can't believe she could do something like that to a baby girl. she ascended from the bowels of hell and completely devastated, wrecked our family. ambulance service, is the patient breathing? in september last year, star hobson was murdered by brockhill. is she conscious? her killer searched the internet for how to bring a baby out of shock. that was 15 minutes before savannah brockhill calmly made this call. she was crying and then she stopped crying and then she was sick, - and now she's just a little bit. floppy, to be honest with you. ijust find it beyond belief that anyone could treat a child in the way that star was treated over that period of time, and then to inflict those horrific injuries that caused her death. today, savannah brockhill was found guilty of murder. frankie smith was convicted of causing or allowing the death of a child. bradford council says it deeply regrets that not all the warning signs were seen. an inquiry into the short life of this sweet little girl will report back early next year. danny savage, bbc news, bradford. the highest temperature ever recorded in the arctic, 38 degrees celsius, has been officially confirmed by the world meteorological organization. experts say the record which was reported in siberia injune last year represents an �*alarm bell�* for climate change. the arctic is warming at twice the rate of the global average. more than 60 people have died in haiti after a fuel tanker exploded in a residential area last night. three days of mourning following the blast, which took place in the city of cap haitien. local reports suggest the vehicle was involved in an accident shortly before the explosion. more and more pupils and teachers are absent from schools in england with suspected or confirmed coronavirus infection. there's been a similar picture in scotland too over recent weeks. headteachers in some areas say they're struggling to provide teachers for every class. our education editor branwenjeffreys has been looking at the latest situation. as they get off the bus, a squirt of sanitiser. schools ramping up precautions again across england and scotland, more pupils and teachers absent. mora regan runs 30 schools around darlington as determined to keep them open. we've already lost in some ways a generation. she tells me covering for staff is hard. in recent weeks we've had to close a year group in primary school because we simply could not cover it in terms of staffing and there were no supplies to be had. the supply agency actually said that they were 50% down on the amount of supply teachers that they could provide to schools. hands up if you think air is a mixture? in the classroom, a c02 manager means open windows and energy bills for schools have soared. schools are trying to get through fully open until the end of term. already across this group of schools more than half of the teachers have had covid since the beginning of the pandemic, making precautions such as opening windows and ventilating classrooms all the more important. especially with christmas coming, there's a lot of push to do all of the testing and wearing masks. we've been told to keep the windows open and doors open, so i've decided to bring a jumper in. they want to be back in school after christmas. it's very important because children can see their friends and i think keeping the windows open is a very small price to pay because it's much better than being poorly and getting covid. almost time for the last bell of term, so are these primary parents worried about the new variant? i don't think i'm worried as such, but concerned, definitely. when your kids are in an environment where there are lots of people in a small room you have to be concerned. i feel our school has fantastic procedures in place as well, so i feel comfortable that when they come back they are in a safe environment as well. picking up tests for christmas, everyone hoping schools will be able to open injanuary. branwen jeffreys, bra nwen jeffreys, bbc branwen jeffreys, bbc news, branwenjeffreys, bbc news, darlington. the people of north shropshire have been represented by a conservative mp in the house of commons for the past two centuries. this thursday voters there will be electing a new member of parliament in a parliamentary by—election caused by the resignation of owen paterson who broke parliamentary rules on lobbying. our political correspondent alex forsyth has been talking to some people in the constituency. in north shropshire, they are not necessarily used to all this attention, but this constituency has been thrown into sharp focus. it is the centre of a political contest that is particularly crucial for the conservatives. their candidate is trying to hold a seat that has been tory for decades but for which he is having to fight. there's lots of distractions nationally but what is important is i am talking to the voters here, i'm talking to the constituents and putting forward a positive message. and what i would say is that, unlike some of my opponents, i'm the only candidate putting forward a positive message with solutions. this is a vast constituency. swathes of farmland scattered with market towns. most people here backed brexit. a loss here would be a blow for the conservatives. give you one of those leaflets? this time, the lib dems are pitching themselves as the alternative. i think there is a strong sense that people have been taken for granted by the conservatives and what we are saying is they can send a message to the government that that is not acceptable any more and elect an mp that will listen to the people here and fight their corner for them nationally. everyone ready? three, two, one. labour, too, is standing firm in the fight, hoping they can cause a political upset. it's great and i'm meeting an awful lot of people who usually vote tory, as they do round here, who are frankly fed up and feel like they have been taken for granted. it's notjust the christmas party and barnard castle, it's about having no—one around here who has been standing up for us. there is anger here at recent events. they are not abiding by their own rules and that is unacceptable. . trying to keep conservatives out, like, working—class boy from here, from a little village, mining town, like. but of course perspectives differ. it'sjust a distraction from what is really going on. there are more serious things like a pandemic. i shall vote conservative. i write down the things that are good and the things - that are bad and i think boris has done very, i very well in adversity. this by—election is an important measure of the public mood and an important moment for boris johnson. there is unrest in his party, but for many conservatives he is the man who has won them elections, so they will be watching to see if that happens here on traditional tory turf after a few turbulent weeks in westminster. the challenges are circling. the challengers are circling. the green party saying local services have been neglected. reform uk is out campaigning even though their candidate has covid, hoping to capture disillusioned voters. reclaim and ukip are pushing at that door too. for some it has all become a little frustrating. i'm sick to death of it and i'm telling people not to put leaflets through my door because theyjust literally go straight into the recycling bin. i'm a bit more tolerant, i think, than my wife. what i do think, though, is that parties need to think long and hard about how they treat their constituents. there are multiple factors at play here — local issues, the national picture. whatever colour people pick could determine just how merry this christmas is for the parties in this race. alex forsyth, bbc news, in shropshire. there are a total of 1a candidates standing in the north shropshire by—election. here's a full list of them. and you can find more details about the by election on our website bbc.co.uk/news. that's it. now on bbc one, time for the news where you are. have a very good night. this is bbc news. the headlines — nearly 100 members of britain's governing conservative party have voted against new coronavirus restrictions in defiance of the prime minister, borisjohnson. however, the new restrictions were passed with the support of the opposition labour party. the world health organization has warned that the new omicron coronavirus variant is spreading at an unprecedented rate. the who director—general says it's likely that omicron is already present in most countries around the world. the first major real—world study since the omicron outbreak suggests that two doses of the pfizerjab appear to provide 70% protection against hospitalisation, but only 30% against actual infection. the us has led international condemnation of the 18—yearjail sentence imposed on the former opposition leader sergei tikhanovsky in belarus. the us secretary of state, antony blinken, said the verdict was politically motivated.