Tory lockdown critics are demanding a vote on the new Covid restrictions on Tuesday after Sajid Javid said MPs might not be given a say until mid-December. 

The changes to regulations that will bring back a mask mandate for certain sectors and tighten the border will be laid before Parliament on Monday and come into effect at 4am on Tuesday.

However, because of a quirk in parliamentary procedures, MPs and peers do not have to vote through the measures before they are adopted, unlike usual laws. 

Instead, Mr Javid said in a broadcast interview on Sunday that a vote would only need to be held within 28 days – meaning potentially weeks after the changes have been adopted. 

Mark Harper, the Tory MP who chairs the Covid Recovery Group of lockdown-sceptic Conservative politicians, called for a debate and vote to be held on Tuesday. 

Mr Harper told The Telegraph: “Ministers have confirmed that they are going to lay the legislation required on Monday.

“I think it’s important that MPs get the chance to debate and vote on that legislation at the earliest possible opportunity. 

“So I would expect ministers to enable us to have a debate of proper length and detail on Tuesday and a vote. It will be a litmus test for how seriously ministers take Parliament.”

The challenge comes after weeks of frayed relations between Downing Street and the Tory backbench over tax rises, “Tory sleaze” headlines and attempts to reform second jobs rules. 

Any such vote would likely pass comfortably in the House of Commons, given Labour has tended to side with the Conservatives on tightening Covid restrictions. 

But it could reveal the scale of any unease on the Tory backbenches at the return of tighter rules after the omicron variant emerged last week. 

It remains to be seen exactly how long any legal changes – likely to be implemented by statutory instrument – would remain in place. 

Mr Javid has said he wants the new restrictions to be “temporary”, with a review due in three weeks when it is hoped more will be known about omicron and the effectiveness of vaccines against it.