BORIS Johnson is scrabbling to contain an increasingly belligerent backbench revolt over Coronavirus ahead of a key vote tomorrow.

Former Tory minister Sir Desmond Swayne yesterday said the Prime Minister and his officials were trying to “terrify the British people” with death projections.

He questioned if the Prime Minister has been “abducted by Dr Strangelove and reprogrammed by the Sage [expert committee] over to the dark side”, a reference to the 1964 comedy centred on Cold War fears of a nuclear war.

He told the Commons the Government’s policy had been “disproportionate”, adding: “By decree, it has interfered in our private lives, and our family lives, telling us who we may meet, when we may meet them and what we must wear when we meet them.

“We have the cruelty, the cruelty, of elderly people in care homes, disorientated, being unable to see the faces of their loved ones and to receive a hug.”

MPs will be asked tomorrow to renew the Coronavirus Act, the time-limited emergency powers used to impose the lockdown south of the border and close pubs.

With Mr Johnson under fire from his own side over a series of U-turns and sinking Tory fortunes in the polls, the renewal of the laws has prompted a fierce pushback from MPs driven by the Government’s performance and constituent woes.

Sir Graham Brady, chair of the powerful 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers, has tabled an amendment that would “as far as is reasonably practicable” give MPs more of a say over future changes to regulations.

He is backed by around Tory 50 MPs, and opposition parties including Labour and the Liberal Democrats have hinted they would also vote for the amendment.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the Commons he would meet Sir Graham Brady to discuss matters further and pledged to “try to find a way forward”.

He said: “I strongly agree with the need for us in this House to have the appropriate level of scrutiny.

“We’re looking at further ways to ensure the House can be properly involved in the process in advance where possible.”

Former cabinet minister Chris Grayling also urged the Government to allow MPs more scrutiny telling the Health Secretary: “We know he wants to do the right thing, we want to help him do the right thing.”

Labour’s John Spellar said “it’s nice to be consulted” but added “in the end it’s about who decides”.

“Why is he so against Parliament making the decision?” he asked.

Earlier, SNP MP David Linden accused the Government of awarding contracts during the pandemic to “benefit their friends”.

He said: “The truth of the matter is the British Government has used this public health crisis to benefit their friends. One contract was handed out without any public tender process to Public First, a company which is run by a former aide to [Michael Gove] and an associate to Dominic Cummings.”