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Boris Johnson has won backing for Covid passes in England despite the biggest revolt by Tory MPs since he became PM.
A total of 98 Conservatives voted against the government, but the measure was passed by a majority of 243 thanks to Labour support.
It means NHS Covid passes showing full vaccination or a recent negative test will be needed for entry into many venues from Wednesday.
MPs also voted to back compulsory face masks in most indoor settings.
Some 38 Tory MPs - and three DUP members - rebelled against the government over the face mask plan, which has already come into effect.
There was also a sizeable rebellion over plans to make vaccinations compulsory for NHS workers in England, which have also passed into law.
One Tory rebel, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Browne, said the scale of the revolt meant a leadership challenge to Mr Johnson has "got to be on the cards" next year.
But another, Sir Charles Walker, told the BBC that Tory MPs still backed the PM but the rebellion was a "cry of pain" over Covid passes, which they viewed as an attack on personal freedoms that would not halt the spread of Covid.
The changes mean that over-18s in England will have to prove they are fully vaccinated or have a recent negative lateral flow test to enter a number of large venues, such as nightclubs.
The prime minister made a last minute plea to his MPs to support the government's Plan B measures, ahead of the votes.
He told the 1922 committee, made up of backbench Tory MPs, that the government had "absolutely no choice" but to introduce the measures, adding: "We simply cannot rely on the suggestion Omicron may be mild."
He told MPs the evidence was still "unclear" and even if Omicron did not become as severe as the levels of Delta variant then the levels of transmission would still put people into hospital and the numbers would be "disastrous".
But Tory backbenchers lined up to attack the Covid pass plan, claiming it will spread fear and do nothing to stop the the Omicron variant.
Richard Drax, MP for South Dorset, warned against "criminalising the people of England for breaking rules that many, it seems, can not follow".
And former minster Tim Loughton said he did not want "a society where we ask for papers and deprive people of their liberty".
Labour shadow health minister Andrew Gwynne said his party backed the measures because they "will help us have a safer Christmas as well as to protect our NHS from being totally overwhelmed".
He added: "When we are faced with a crisis, Labour will always put people and the health of the nation above party politics."
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from Via PakapNews