As explained yesterday on Politics Today nobody wants to abstain but it is the least unacceptable of a selection of undesirable options.
The target of dealing with COVID is shared so to vote against might imperil progress. However the mechanisms being employed are not those preferred or suggested by the Opposition.
Therefore abstention is the best of a bad lot
You would say that though, wouldn't you? Difference of management, not difference of approach. What opposition there is to this madness appears to have been led by Sir Graham Brady.
You can be sure there'll be an opposition come the May elections if this nonsense isn't sorted out.
Andrew Western of Trafford and all three local MPs have asked for Trafford to be moved into tier 2, so it's not right to say the opposition is being led by Mr Brady.
If you mean opposition to restrictions full stop, rather than the implementation and, management of them, well there was a march of anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theorists in Manchester last weekend featuring Piers Corbyn, if he would like to be associated with them.
Andrew Western asked about a week after Brady, at least publicly.
Western could have pushed his own party to not abstain.
I don't like Sir Graham but he at least spoke up on this.
I don't think a council leader has so much influence in the national party; I can see why the Labour Party abstained, although it's not a good look at all, I agree.
Brady keeps on being mentioned in the media as an "influential" MP, but his party appear to ignore him!
Despite the previous two sentences, my earlier comment was not party political but to show that all mainstream politicians in Trafford, as far as I know, are aiming for tier two status; that doesn't apply in all boroughs in Greater Manchester.