Conservative Senedd candidate calls for ban on Welsh MPs voting on English Covid restrictions

A Tory Senedd candidate has called for a ban on Welsh MPs voting on English Covid-19 restrictions – amid confusion over one who voted both ways.

Former Big Brother candidate and Welsh Conservative Senedd candidate for Cardiff North, Joel Williams, made the comments following a recent vote on new tiered restrictions in the House of Commons.

The vote provoked a major rebellion against Boris Johnson’s government within the Conservative Party, where 55 of its MPs voted against the government and 16 did note vote.

MPs finally approved the plan by 291 votes to 78 because the Labour Party abstained. Several Welsh Conservative MPs voted in favour of the latest restrictions in England.

They include Simon Baynes, the MP for Clwyd South, Alun Cairns, the MP for the Value of Glamorgan, Virginia Crosbie, the MP for Ynys Mon, David Davies, the MP for Monmouth, Fay Jones, the MP for Brecon and Radnorshire, Robin Millar, the MP for Aberconwy, Sarah Atherton, the MP for Wrexham, and Craig Williams, the MP for Montgomeryshire.

David Jones, the MP for Clwyd West, voted against imposing the restrictions.

It is recorded on the Parliament website that, Jamie Wallis, the Conservative MP for Bridgend, voted both in favour and against the restrictions.

 

‘They shouldn’t’ 

Joel Williams, who has recently said that people of Wales are “feeling ever more out of touch with Westminster” and has spoken about his fears of the rise in support for independence, said: “Why should non-English constituency MPs vote on England-only Covid restrictions? They shouldn’t.”

England has been under lockdown for four weeks and now it will return to a tiered system.

Under this system on-essential shops and other businesses, including personal care services such as hairdressers and beauty salons are now able to reopen.

England was under a tiered system before going into lockdown, but this system is much tougher than the previous one.

People under tier one will face medium restrictions, people under tier two will face high restrictions, and people under tier three will be living under very high restrictions. They majority of people in England will be living under tier two.

Ambiguity in the tier two restrictions led to arguments over whether a Scotch egg constitutes a substantial meal.

Under tier two restrictions affecting the majority of England’s population from today, pubs can only serve alcohol to customers consuming a substantial meal, and this has led to some confusion over the rules.

Under these restrictions, people are not allowed to mix with anyone outside their household or support bubble indoors, although they can socialise in groups of up to six outdoors.

Under tier three, people must not mix with anyone outside their household or support bubble indoors, or at most outdoor venues.

Jamie Wallis has been contacted to comment on why the parliamentary records indicate that he voted both ways on the restrictions.