Bob Blackman, executive secretary of the 1922 Committee, said he believed the threat of another mass Tory rebellion would dissuade Mr Johnson from putting further legal restrictions to a parliamentary vote.
“If they thought they had a problem getting the last restrictions through, you can imagine what will happen if they come back for another go,” said Mr Blackman. “The mood of colleagues is: ‘Enough is enough’.”
Sir Graham said: “Ministers have got into the habit of thinking that they have a right to interfere in people’s family lives and livelihoods. They have no such right.
“What is more, the toll in terms of mental health, delayed treatment for other conditions and the catastrophic consequences for businesses, already shows this failed approach does more harm than good. If ministers took a few days off over Christmas, we would all have something to celebrate.”
The backlash came after Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, refused to rule out fresh restrictions before Christmas, saying he could give “no guarantees” and warning that it could be “too late” if the Government waited for “perfect” data to make a decision.
