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Part of a London street is cleared of diners before curfew at 22:00 BST
Parliamentarians will later vote on the extension of emergency powers granted to the government to deal with the coronavirus.
Ministers say they must be able to react quickly to contain the outbreaks, but dozens of Conservative MPs are demanding greater parliamentary scrutiny of the new restrictions.
The talks continue before the vote in an attempt to reach a compromise and avoid any rebellion.
Conservative MP Steve Baker said the government had reached “a fork in the road.”
BBC Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg said that no resolution had been reached. between the government and the conservative rebels on Tuesday night.
But on Wednesday there will be a new meeting between Mr. Baker and Chief Whip Mark Spencer, he added.
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The House of Commons will vote on the renewal of the coronavirus legislation passed at the start of the pandemic in March, which gives the government broad powers to act but must be extended every six months.
The government is facing increasing calls for increased parliamentary scrutiny of its Covid policies, amid concerns that recent interventions, such as the “rule of six” limit on social gatherings, the closing time of the 10pm pubs and local restrictions in the Northeast have been announced with little warning and without consideration by MPs.
‘Reasonable offer’
Local locks and stricter restrictions have often been imposed at the request of local leaders, but there is growing concern among conservative banks that the multiple restrictions are confusing and disproportionate.
Dozens of Conservative MPs back an amendment by Sir Graham Brady calling for future regulations affecting all of England to be introduced only if Parliament has a chance to debate and vote on them early.
However, it is believed that Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle is unlikely to select Sir Graham’s amendment for debate.
When asked if the group of MPs he is a part of could force the government to “back off” if the amendment was not elected, Baker told the BBC’s Today show: “I don’t want to be in the business of forcing the government.
“But what I would say is this is a fork in the road. Or later today we will face a reasonable offer that we can accept, back off and with pleasure.”
“Or we will end up that these parliamentarians are not going to leave and we will have to keep fighting, as I say, with a fierce resolve to preserve the institutions that we are proud of and that we want to defend. In the public interest.”
And the former secretary of Wales, David Jones, said he could not accept that swaths of his country were blocked by “ministerial decree”.
Commerce Secretary Alok Sharma defended the government’s approach before the vote, telling BBC Breakfast that the most recent restrictions were designed to prevent “more draconian” action in the future.
“Nobody wants this to get out of control and get us back to where we were in March.”
What are the powers of the coronavirus?
The powers that ministers are using to respond to the pandemic are based on two laws of Parliament.
The Coronavirus Act, an emergency legislation that was swiftly passed in Parliament in late March, gives authorities broad powers to tackle Covid.
It was used to close schools, postpone elections, and stop mass gatherings. It also allows authorities to forcibly quarantine anyone who tests positive for the virus.
It should remain in force for two years, although there is a six-month review on Wednesday, when MPs will decide whether it should continue.
But most of the major interventions, including the national lockdown and current local restrictions in England, are based on much older legislation dating back almost 40 years.
The Public Health (Disease Control) Act 1984, passed by Parliament during the Thatcher era, gave his government and its successors extensive powers to deal with medical emergencies.
Successive virus control measures, such as the mandatory use of masks in shops and the limit of the “rule of six” in meetings, have been introduced through regulations linked to this law.
Regulations are legislative instruments that must be approved by Parliament, but are often not debated.
Later, they can be modified to authorize more restrictions, although ministers must review the initial regulation every 28 days when Parliament is in session.
The 2020 Health Protection Regulation, which introduced the lockdown, came into force when Parliament was not in session at the end of March and was passed retrospectively in early May.
In some cases during the pandemic, government policy has been based on voluntary guidance that, while not legally binding, has often been more restrictive.
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