Speaking in the House of Commons this afternoon, MP for Kenilworth and Southam Jeremy Wright has said that he will not back the UK Government's proposal over new tiered restrictions following the end of the second national lockdown tomorrow.

Despite being in Tier One - 'Medium Risk' - before the November lockdown, Kenilworth was placed into Tier Three last week, as a decision was made uniformly across Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull.

Mr Wright had already spoken out against Kenilworth being placed in Tier Three in a statement last week, in which he said "The figures for the prevalence of the Covid-19 virus in Kenilworth and Southam do not support the constituency being in Tier Three."

Speaking in the House of Commons today (Tuesday, December 1) Mr Wright said that he would be voting against the Government for the first time in ten years, and that he had supported all previous Covid-19 restrictions proposed.

However today he intimated that whilst he supported a regional response to the pandemic, "the logic of that approach is that you make the restrictions as local as you can; consistent with accurate and reliable virus data. We have that data at borough and district level, so why do we not consistently impose restrictions at that level?"

Mr Wright then pointed out that Warwickshire was viewed alone in the previous tiers, but is now combined with Coventry and Solihull.

"That means that the restrictions faced soon by the people of Warwickshire and indeed south Warwickshire are bound to be based on data less relevant than where they live."

Mr Wright also said that MPs in Warwickshire are hoping to persuade the Government to view the county separately, and that discussions are ongoing.

"It is very difficult to explain to our constituents why tomorrow morning they will be waking up to Tier Three restrictions, the infection rates in Warwickshire were higher when we went into the Lockdown in November in Tier One then it is when we come out of it in Tier Three, and in my constituency in South Warwickshire, even lower."

Mr Wright also went on to say that the new measures to be imposed upon the constituency were "profoundly damaging to hospitality businesses in particular," and that a review on December 16 would be too late to have any impact as the pre-Christmas trade would be largely over as changes would not come into place until December 19.

MPs will vote on the restrictions later today; it is anticipated that the Government's proposal will be passed.

The next review of the tiers will come on December 16, and the next parliamentary vote in late January.

Mr Wright has uploaded a fully copy of his statement on his website, and can be read in full here.