Boris Johnson's Christmas COVID-19 gamble may be paying off

For much of the last couple of months, it seemed British Prime Minister Boris Johnson couldn’t make anyone happy with his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A sizable part of his Conservative backbench — more than 100 MPs — voted against him in December, furious that Johnson and his cabinet introduced requirements just before Christmas for COVID-19 passes for large events, as well as mask mandates for other venues that they felt were harsh and unnecessary.  

At the same time, Johnson resisted immense pressure from forces outside his party to go even further. 

With Omicron cases soaring and threatening to overwhelm hospitals, he made England