It appears that Downing Street is willing to offer MPs a vote on new restrictions, but not in a way that would prevent ministers from acting rapidly to respond to the pandemic. That may mean votes don’t happen until after new laws have come into place.

– No small rebellion –

The Speaker is unlikely to allow any amendments to the motion renewing the Government’s emergency powers, which must be voted on today. That would mean that the rebels, who had tabled an amendment, would only have the nuclear option of refusing to renew those powers available.

Such a move appears unlikely (and would still need support from opposition parties), but No10 can’t afford to alienate 80 or more of its own backbenchers and so is working on a compromise anyway.

The rebellion received a shot in the arm yesterday when Johnson blundered and got his own coronavirus rules wrong in a press conference, confusing the “rule of six” with the much stricter restrictions in place in the North East.

That boosted their argument that the rules are confusing and arbitrary. Indeed, The Sun reports this morning that Downing Street will return to weekly televised press conferences to try and restore some semblance of order to the Government’s messaging.

– Next in line for a lockdown –

With infections still rising, after a brief dip over the weekend, it’s a row that will be of immediate consequence. Merseyside is set to be the latest area to enter a local lockdown, with Joe Anderson, the Mayor of Liverpool, calling for a “circuit breaker” closure of pubs and restaurants.

London remains on the watchlist but is not yet facing lockdown. Johnson is reportedly reluctant to place the capital under tight restrictions for fear of the national economic consequences of doing so.

Either way, the next few weeks and months are likely to involve the Prime Minister placing greater restrictions on the country’s freedoms and granting greater powers to the police and others to enforce them. That makes the consequences of today’s wrangling with MPs considerable.

– An uncomfortable position –

What it would mean for Britain’s handling of the pandemic is unclear. Ministers haven’t covered themselves in glory so far, however many of the 80 or so rebels are sceptical of any coronavirus measures altogether, rather than their effective and democratic implementation.

That Labour is unlikely to oppose scientifically-backed measures means the Government would be unlikely to lose many fights in Parliament. But nor would Johnson want to find himself in a position of relying on Sir Keir Starmer while his own party discipline disintegrated.

That situation alone could leave the PM facing very uncomfortable choices between following scientific advice and keeping his party together.