ENGLAND’S new month-long coronavirus lockdown starts on Thursday after MPs overwhelmingly backed it in the Commons.

Today, 516 MPs gave the green light for the new measures, which includes the closure of hospitality venues and non-essential shops, while 38 voted against them.

The majority of Labour MPs supported the government’s latest anti-coronavirus legislation.

The legislation was expected to be approved by the House of Lords before coming into force at midnight.

Ahead of the vote, Sir Keir Starmer urged Boris Johnson during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) to show “some basic honesty” and reveal what will happen when the second lockdown ends.

The Labour leader asked the PM whether the lockdown will end on December 2 “come what may” or whether that “will depend on the circumstances.”

He also enquired whether the measures will be lifted if the R rate has not been brought below 1, adding that such a move “doesn’t seem sensible” and that it would be “a madness” to return to the less strict tiered regional restrictions if infection rates continue to rise.

Mr Johnson said that “getting this country going again” in the run-up to Christmas would depend on whether the R rate falls below 1, adding that the Commons would vote on what to do.

However, there has been speculation that the latest lockdown will be extended, with Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove admitting that it is a possibility if new infections do not fall.

During PMQs, Sir Keir called Mr Johnson’s delay in implementing a national lockdown “a huge failure of leadership.”

He asked the PM to use the lockdown to “fix test and trace,” adding: “We’ve been going round and round in circles on this. 

“The latest figures show that 113,000 contacts were not even reached and that’s just in one week,” Sir Keir added.

“Only 20 per cent of those who should be isolating are doing so and the majority of people still don’t get results in 24 hours.”

Mr Johnson said that he was “perfectly willing” to “take full responsibility for the frustrations people have” with the test-and-trace system, which has been outsourced to private firms at a cost of £12 billion.