UK minister defends possible domestic use of ‘vaccine passports’

The UK government on Tuesday defended the possible domestic use of coronavirus certification, or so-called vaccine passports, after the opposition Labour party warned that such measures could be “discriminatory”. 

Nadhim Zahawi, minister responsible for the coronavirus vaccine rollout, said that the domestic use of certification raised “a number of ethical issues”, but stressed that the government’s vaccine task force led by Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove was reviewing the issue, adding that it would be “irresponsible” not to explore all options. 

“It is only right and responsible to look at all options available to us to be able to reopen the economy in as safe a way as possible as other countries are doing”, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

Zahawi’s comments follow confirmation from Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday that the government was exploring the use of vaccine passports for domestic as well as international use.

Speaking at a Downing Street briefing, Johnson said there would be “three ingredients” involved in establishing Covid-19 certification: vaccination status, testing and an individual’s immunity based on whether they had contracted coronavirus within the past six months.

Johnson also pledged that vaccine passports would not be used domestically before June 21, adding: “The most important thing to say is that there is absolutely no question of people being asked to produce certification or Covid status reports when they go to the shops or to the pub garden or to the hairdresser or whatever on Monday.”

The government is facing a growing backlash from Conservative and opposition MPs. Last week, 41 Tory MPs, including former minister Steve Baker, joined forces with Labour and Liberal Democrat colleagues to voice their concerns, describing vaccine passports as “divisive and discriminatory”.

Speaking on Tuesday, shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth accused the government of creating “confusion” and said that Labour would have to be “convinced” to vote in favour of the measures.

“I do think it is discriminatory to say to somebody here in Leicester that you cannot go into Next or H&M unless you produce your vaccination status on an app, unless you produce that digital ID card,” he told Sky News. 

“Now, if ministers are saying that is not what the policy is then they have to explain why does the policy document they produced last night permit that scenario?”

His comments follow remarks made by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who last week told the Telegraph newspaper that the use of vaccine passports in everyday social spaces such as pubs would contradict the “British instinct”.

Conservative MPs, including Mark Harper, the chair of the Covid Recovery Group, have urged the government to commit to putting vaccine passports to a parliamentary vote in the coming months.

“It is crucial MPs are allowed a vote on this, as Michael Gove promised last week”, Harper said on Monday evening. “Whether the state legislates for it, recommends it or simply allows it, Covid status certification will lead to a two-tier Britain and these issues need debating thoroughly and carefully before we allow them to affect the lives of our constituents.”

Meanwhile, former Conservative minister Sir John Redwood said he recognised that the government was trying to navigate an “extremely difficult balancing act” in regards to vaccine passports.

“I want to see the proposals and the whole package. I don’t like the idea that you would need to provide papers to go to the pub”, he told the BBC on Tuesday. “It is important we take into account people’s behaviour, people’s economic needs and social needs as well as the medical advice.”