FOUR Dorset and New Forest MPs have formally expressed their opposition to the implementation of the third national coronavirus lockdown in England.

Poole MP Sir Robert Syms, South Dorset MP Richard Drax and New Forest West MP Sir Desmond Swayne voted against the new Covid regulations following a debate in the House of Commons on Wednesday, January 6.

Sir Christopher Chope, who represents Christchurch, was a teller for the votes against.

Tellers count the number of votes in a House of Commons division. They are not officially counted in the totals of votes but do still indicate which way that MP would have voted.

The opposing Dorset and New Forest MPs were four of just 18 representatives who were against the lockdown law.

Former Tory minister Sir Desmond branded lockdowns a “complete failure” while Sir Robert said the measures, which are in place until March 31, were “essentially a blank cheque for three months to Public Health England to do what they wish”.

The new measures passed with an overwhelming majority. With tellers votes not counted, the vote in the recalled House of Commons passed comfortably by 524 votes to 16.

Conor Burns (Bournemouth West), Tobias Ellwood, (Bournemouth East), Michael Tomlinson (Mid Dorset and North Poole), Simon Hoare (North Dorset) and Chris Loder (West Dorset) all voted in favour of the lockdown's implementation.

New Forest East MP Julian Lewis did not cast a vote.

During the Commons debate, Conservative Sir Robert said: “We have regulations today which set out March 31, which is a full three months. Although we’ve had warm words about, of course, we’re going to review and we’ll come back to discuss with Parliament, as of right, we do not have any ability to influence this once it has passed.

“It is essentially a blank cheque for three months to Public Health England to do what they wish and that is why I worry about the legislation today.

“If the legislation said a month and a review … I might even be tempted to vote for it. But the three-month nature of the regulations seem to me too long and I don’t think are proportionate to where we are.”

He continued: “I notice regulations have been passed so that if you sit by a river with a fishing rod you are breaking the law under the current lockdown regulations.

“People will follow sensible regulations (if) they feel it saves lives, but the bureaucratic nature of this essential lockdown is, I think, such that people will get frustrated and they may well actually break the regulations because they can’t understand why they are there.”

Sir Desmond said: “This is a situation of state capture, the Government is completely in thrall to a lobby driving a policy that has manifestly failed, it’s failed or we wouldn’t be here yet again.

“A complete failure and yet we go through increasing iterations of this policy, with ever tighter controls and restrictions in the hope that it might finally work and then when there is a possibility, as a consequence of the arrival of the vaccines, the crazed lobby has already (begun) to signal that the social control won’t be over, that some restrictions will remain. Indeed the chiefs have pointed out that they might have to be reimposed all over again next winter.”

Addressing MPs contemplating voting for the measures, he said: “I would point out that when the devastating economic consequences of this policy come home to roost, double-dip recession, years of slow growth because firms can’t take up new opportunities because they’re saddled with debt, those same voters who were so enthusiastic will abandon them and they’ll be back to point a finger of blame and on that occasion at least they’ll be right.”