Tory MPs might not like No. 10’s quarantine policy – but the public do

Boris Johnson is in the firing line today over his government’s plan to impose a two-week quarantine for anyone arriving in the UK from Monday. The Prime Minister’s policy was criticised by both Labour and Tory MPs during PMQs. When Home Secretary Priti Patel confirmed the details in the Chamber this afternoon, former ministers Liam Fox, Theresa Villiers, and 1922 committee chair Sir Graham Brady were among those who questioned the timing and the effectiveness of the new measures.

With a growing backlash building among MPs and industry, Patel is under pressure to publish the scientific advice behind the decision. However, there is one group that appears to be on No. 10’s side: the general public. In new polling for Coffee House – conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies with a sample size of 1,500 – 63 per cent approve of the decision to ask travellers in the UK to self-isolate from 8 June. If anything, the issue is that it took so long in the first place with 67 per cent saying the policy should have already been implemented.

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