Boris Johnson needs to justify why he is seeking a six-month extension to "authoritarian" powers to respond to Covid-19, a Conservative former minister has said.

Steve Baker said the government "needs to answer why" given the high number of vulnerable people vaccinated and the success of the jab programme it is "seeking to hang on" to the powers.

Asked about the size of the Conservative rebellion, Mr Baker told Sophy Ridge yesterday on Sky News: "It's very difficult to say until we've seen the exact detail of what the government is tabling and how the votes will come.

"Let's be absolutely clear, because it seems Labour and the SNP will vote for any old authoritarianism these days it looks like the government will get their business with an enormous majority.

"But I do think it's important that some of us do seek to hold the government to account with these extraordinary powers."

Mr Baker described the Coronavirus Act as "excessive and disproportionate" and said it "should now go".

He also said he believes this would not put the furlough scheme at risk, saying this had been confirmed by the House of Commons Library.

Mr Baker told Sky News: "The government really does need to start taking advantage of their own great success on the vaccination programme."

He said he expects to vote "squarely against" the Coronavirus Act and said it is sensible for the government to take "proportionate" measures, adding: "They really should now start looking at dramatically reducing the range of powers that they have."

He said ministers should also avoid putting police in an "invidious" position, having earlier noted "we politicians have got to take the blame" for how officers have been enforcing powers - despite "mistakes" such as using drones to pursue people.

On international travel, Mr Baker said: "There's a very good case to look at it and say because of the situation in other countries the government's got to take a very careful view."

Mr Baker added he thinks it is "inevitable" a different approach will be taken to international travel compared to the domestic situation, saying: "I do expect if our vaccination programme is proceeding at pace and people are safe because they've been vaccinated, then they should be able to travel, but equally... I will reserve my position a little to actually look at the data as it emerges."

But Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has defended plans to extend coronavirus lockdown powers in England.

Mr Wallace told Sky News: "The final mile is the most important thing for us all, make sure we buckle down, get through the different stages the Prime Minister set out.

"At each stage we will be taking assessments from the science, from where we are in the pandemic, and take the steps required.

"It is not a one-way street. Just because we are seeking to extend the powers doesn't mean we are deaf to how facts change on the ground."

Professor Jeremy Brown, a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), has warned that a "very large number" of at-risk people could develop a "serious" Covid-19 infection if restrictions are lifted now.

He said between 90 per cent and 95 per cent of people who are at high risk have been vaccinated, but mostly with one dose, which does not provide full protection.

He told Sky News: "Until we have done the second dose and everyone has been vaccinated, there is a little degree of infection that still occurs.

"If you completely lift all restrictions there will be a wave of infections across the country and those who are not protected, either because the first vaccine hasn't worked very well in them and they need their second dose, or because they have not had a vaccine at this point in time but are still vulnerable, they will get infections and they will end up in hospital and die.

"So, if you lift restrictions, even though most people who are at risk have been vaccinated, the proportion who have not still represent a very large number of people who could end up with serious infection."