Discontent with Johnson imperils his future, UK virus rules

LONDON (AP) — Behind a heavy oak door in Parliament, Prime Minister Boris Johnson implored Conservative lawmakers to back him by voting for new restrictions to help slow the fast-spreading omicron variant.

The lawmakers cheered Johnson — yet almost 100 defied him, voting in the House of Commons against requiring vaccine passports for nightclubs and other crowded venues. The rebellion didn’t defeat the measure, which was approved with opposition support and took effect Wednesday. But it could have big implications for Johnson's political future and for Britain’s pandemic response.

“It was a very clear message that colleagues are not happy with how the government is operating at the moment,” Mark Harper, one of the rebels, told Times Radio. “The team captain should be able to depend on the loyalty of the team, but it’s a two-way street.”

Tuesday’s rebellion by 98 Conservative lawmakers on vaccine certificates was by far the biggest of Johnson’s premiership, and an echo of the serial revolts that ousted his predecessor, Theresa May. More than 60 Tory legislators also voted against mandating vaccinations for all health care workers.

Johnson’s government argues that the restrictions are needed to confront the “grave threat” from the highly transmissible omicron variant, which is spreading so quickly it could overwhelm Britain's hospitals even if it is less severe than previous strains.

Some on the party’s right wing don't believe the dire warnings, and don't like the “nanny state” measures the pandemic has brought. In Tuesday's vote, they were joined by others wanting to send a warning to a prime minister whose approval ratings have plummeted amid policy U-turns and ethics scandals.

Any further coronavirus restrictions look certain to face strong resistance from...