Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing pressure on his leadership after the Conservatives dealt him the biggest rebellion since he took up Prime Minister two-and-a-half years ago.

The dissatisfaction among MPs saw almost 100 backbenchers defy the party whip to vote against the Government on Tuesday, December 14.

The PM will be hoping this rebellion will not be felt more widely as the Conservatives battle to keep the seat of North Shropshire in a by-election on Thursday.

The PM will be hoping the dissatisfaction among his MPs – which saw nearly 100 backbenchers defy the party whip to vote against the Government on Tuesday – is not felt more widely, as the Conservatives battle to keep the seat of North Shropshire in a key by-election on Thursday.

This comes after nearly a third of Tory MPs voted against the introduction of mandatory Covid passes in nightclubs and large venues, with many saying they were unhappy about the way Boris Johnson was leading the country and his party.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, treasurer of the 1922 Committee, said that a leadership challenge has “got to be on the cards” for Boris Johnson in the new year if he did not change the way he worked with his MPs.

Former Tory chief whip, Mark Harper said: “You either listen and you respond and you do things differently or you ignore what you have been told and you plough on regardless and then this will happen over and over again.”

126 MPs voted against regulations to make Covid passes mandatory.

This included 97 Conservatives, according to the division list, but Tory MP Steve Baker said he believed there were two more votes against – which had not been reported in the list – bringing the total to 99 Conservative rebels, plus two tellers for the noes.

North Wales Chronicle: Labour supported the measures (Aaron Chown/PA)Labour supported the measures (Aaron Chown/PA)

Labour supported the Government, so the measure passed.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “The Prime Minister needs to take a long, hard look at himself and ask himself whether he has the authority to take this country through the pandemic. This is a very significant blow for him.”

Other measures under the Government’s Plan B also cleared the Commons, including dropping the requirement to isolate and instead do daily Covid tests for those fully vaccinated people who are contacts of a positive Covid case.

Mandatory vaccinations for NHS and social care staff by April 2022 was also approved, as well as the requirement to wear face coverings in more indoor spaces in England such as museums and galleries.

61 Conservatives also voted against the mandatory vaccination plans.

Sir Charles Walker, the vice-chairman of the committee, said the rebellion was a “cry of pain” by the party.

He told BBC News: “This was just a bridge too far. I think they were putting a marker down. It was a cry of pain from the Conservative Party.

“He (Boris Johnson) is in a very, very, very difficult position. There has been a strong view within the Conservative Party that vaccine passports do not work and is not something many colleagues wanted to see introduced.

“This is a very, very specific line being drawn in the sand now and I think the Prime Minister and his team need to listen.”

This follows as Downing Street faces backlash for several alleged parties that took place last Christmas.

The Liberal Democrats, who say they are now “neck and neck” with the Tories in the North Shropshire poll, said the various scandals would hit the party – which previously enjoyed a nearly 23,000 majority in the seat – at the ballot box.

Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Daisy Cooper said: “From No 10 to Tory HQ, the slew of rule-breaking revelations show that Boris Johnson has set a very low bar for standards within his party and his presence in Downing Street is eroding public trust.

“This Thursday, voters in North Shropshire have the chance to tell him the party is over.”