MPs voted for a second lockdown by 516 votes to 38 as Covid deaths more than doubled in a fortnight.
Lockdown measures from tomorrow will include forcing non-essential retail shops, gyms and hospitality venues to close. Schools and universities will stay open.
At least 20 Tory MPs were prepared to vote against the measures but the Prime Minister could rely on votes from the opposition.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer pledged support for the restrictions, having urged Boris Johnson to put the country on a circuit-breaker lockdown for weeks.
Coronavirus deaths have risen by 492 in the largest daily increase since May, but Boris Johnson has shown optimism in UK testing sites.
The PM said that he “sees light ahead” in the fight against the pandemic as 3,000 armed forces and scientists have stepped in to help mass testing.
Ben Wallace revealed top Ministry of Defence biomedical scientists will oversee troops from the 8 Engineer Brigade, the Royal Anglian Regiment and the King’s Royal Hussars as part of the first trial in testing a whole city.
And he hinted the Liverpool deployment was the first of many, saying: “As the latest testing technologies and developments in combating the virus come into play, Defence stands ready to support local communities, and the nation, to benefit from them as soon as possible.”
Despite fatalities rising by 397, cases have continued to level off as 20,018 more people tested positive for the bug today – as the country faces a second lockdown from tomorrow.
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