Boris Johnson will announce this week that he is scrapping plans that would have required vaccine passports / Covid IDs for entry into nightclubs, cinemas, and sports grounds. On Tuesday, the Prime Minister will formally announce that he has abandoned the proposed compulsory certification scheme, which would have forced venues to check people’s vaccine status.
Johnson tore up the proposals after scientists said vaccinations would be an effective first line of defence against a winter wave of the pandemic. But the move also represents a significant concession to Tory backbench rebels who had complained that enforcing vaccine passports would have created a group of second-class citizens.
"We shouldn't be doing things for the sake of it"
Health Secretary Sajid Javid says a scheme for vaccine passports for entry to nightclubs and large events in England will not be going ahead
https://t.co/0WkSrkrIAB #Marr pic.twitter.com/bhWRfdXISZ— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) September 12, 2021
The Health Secretary Sajid Javid has also said that the vaccine passport scheme will be scrapped in England. Speaking to Nick Robinson on the Andrew Marr Show, the health secretary said: “We will not be going ahead with plans for vaccine passports.” “We shouldn’t be doing things for the sake of it.” He said the government had looked at the evidence, adding: “I’m pleased to say we will not be going ahead with plans. and “It’s fair to say most people don’t instinctively like the idea.”
Mr Zahawi previously said this week that “It pains me” to implement something that “goes against the DNA” of the Prime Minister and himself.
Will the PM's winter plan for #COVID19 include a vaccine passport?
Health Secretary @sajidjavid tells @TrevorPTweets he hopes the government can "avoid" implementing a vaccine passport scheme, but does not rule it out.#Phillips: https://t.co/WDH38xoY8F pic.twitter.com/hMkXnCpuaq
— Sophy Ridge on Sunday & The Take (@RidgeOnSunday) September 12, 2021
An hour earlier the Health Secretary Sajid Javid told Trevor Phillips that he hopes the government can “avoid implementing a vaccine passport scheme, but does not rule it out.”
The vaccine passport scheme requires people to show proof of being double vaccinated before entering crowded venues, such as nightclubs and other indoor events. This comes days after the Scottish government voted to implement a vaccine passport scheme from October 1, 2021.
This is a much welcomed announcement. Vaccine passports represent an illiberal solution to a non-existent problem.
The Prime Minister is right to be scrapping plans to introduce them. However, the devil will be in the detail.https://t.co/G4xsViakp3
— David Davis (@DavidDavisMP) September 12, 2021
Boris Johnson said in July 2021: “I should serve notice now that by the end of September, when all over-18s will have had their chance to be double-jabbed, we are planning to make full vaccination the condition of entry to nightclubs and other venues where large crowds gather.”
It was thought the scheme would be introduced at the end of this month. The Night-Time Industries Association warned it would “cripple the industry”. The plans to introduce vaccine passports for nightclubs were flawed and would have been a “financial disaster”, according to leading voices in the nightclub industry.
Despite the government insisting that it was “working closely with organisations that operate large, crowded settings”, Luke Laws, who runs the super club Fabric, says that nobody could explain how they would work.
“We have no idea about the detail or how it’s meant to be implemented, how you check, how it’s enforced, what records you need to keep. We haven’t had any anything,” Mr Laws said. Fabric’s operations director says he would like to hear the scientific justification. So would we Mr Laws.
“This is an industry that was shut throughout all of COVID, had no industry-specific support. I’d say it isn’t struggling to get to its feet, it’s struggling to get onto its knees. I imagine financially this will be a disaster,” Mr Laws said. Adding, “At the moment we can’t supply the basic level of security, therefore anything post-September, a requirement for COVID passports needing additional security is going to be a huge challenge… we have got a big deficit in security resources that needs to be considered”.
David Vickery, from XOYO, said: “I don’t think the government realises the anxiety this puts on people, we need information so that we can carry out proper planning to keep people safe.” “It’s like going into no man’s land, we need to know as soon as possible because this is weeks away.”
Yes indeed. This is good sense and credit to @sajidjavid for listening to representations. Vaccine passports were discriminatory, unworkable and it was never clear to us which question they sought to answer. Well done SoS. https://t.co/bFN9ZBteIF
— Steve Brine MP (@BrineMP) September 12, 2021
Mark Harper MP said on the news this morning “I welcome Sajid Javid’s confirming that vaccine passports are not going ahead now I’m pleased he has listened to the compelling case against them made by the Covid Recovery Group and many others. They shouldn’t be kept in reserve – they are pointless, damaging & discriminatory”
I welcome @sajidjavid confirming that vaccine passports are not going ahead now
I’m pleased he has listened to the compelling case against them made by the Covid Recovery Group and many others
They shouldn’t be kept in reserve – they are pointless, damaging & discriminatory https://t.co/HnPIi2YDK0
— Mark Harper (@Mark_J_Harper) September 12, 2021
Steven Perez Entrepreneur Chairman of Global Brands Ltd, Casa Hotels, Peak Edge Hotel & Red Lion has said “Common Sense prevails.”
Common sense prevails!! pic.twitter.com/io0f8q0LTb
— Steve Perez (@StevenJGPerez) September 12, 2021
Opposition to the plans also came from Tory MPs on the Covid Recovery Group as well as the Liberal Democrats, whose leader, Ed Davey, described them as “divisive, unworkable and expensive”.
As predicted the government has reheated their Covid ID card scheme.
They are divisive, unworkable and expensive and the Liberal Democrats will oppose them.https://t.co/1wGNa8EzLR
— Ed Davey (@EdwardJDavey) August 31, 2021
In case you missed it – last week I led a debate on #VaccinePassports in Parliament to challenge govt on its plans. What followed was an hour in which all sides of the House made clear their deep concerns. Govt retreat is a win for liberals of all parties – and @BigBrotherWatch. https://t.co/AqLt9ktNA9
— Alistair Carmichael MP (@amcarmichaelMP) September 12, 2021
Let’s not forget the Constitutional Affairs Select Committee (PACAC) the cross-party committee appointed to scrutinise Government published their report on the UK’s Covid-Status Certification.
This morning we published the Government's response to our report Covid-Status Certification
Read our Report here: https://t.co/s2V9MYmWru
Read the Government Response here: https://t.co/MYfPHJLNXi pic.twitter.com/udywg6qdV6
— PACAC Committee (@CommonsPACAC) September 9, 2021
They completely crushed the very notion of the vaccine passports rollout saying that they were not scientifically justified and raised concerns that a covid passport would not aid the unlocking, but would add new burdens to key sectors of the UK economy and society.
Earlier this week a Tory former minister told the I paper that they “suspected vaccine passports could be ditched”, adding that Boris Johnson “hates the idea” and was threatening their introduction to encourage young people to get jabbed. It comes after the vaccines minister sparked a furious response from his own backbenchers when he said the Government was pressing on with the policy even though it “goes against everything I believe in”.
Proud that @LibDems led the way against unnecessary, discriminatory and illiberal vaccine passports. The policy was utterly indefensible as @nadhimzahawi proved in the Commons last week. Let's wait to see the detail in the announcement, but good news on the face of it. https://t.co/HV938EElCR
— Munira Wilson MP 🇺🇦 (@munirawilson) September 12, 2021
Also ealier in the week Nadhim Zahawi said the passports were necessary to avoid the disruption nightclubs would otherwise face, adding: “It is not something… we do lightly, it is something to allow us to transition this virus from pandemic to endemic status.”
Tory MPs lined up to attack the plans in the Commons last week, with former chief whip Mark Harper demanding the Government drop the proposals. “I’m afraid the minister is picking an unnecessary fight with his own colleagues,” he said. “I say to him: the Government should think again.” And regarding Parliament itself Mr Harper added “Let’s not have one rule for Members of Parliament and another rule for everybody else.”
Senior backbencher William Wragg branded the policy a “load of rubbish”, adding: “This is a needless fight that we seem prepared to have.”
Today Government let slip quietly that they are dropping #VaccinePassports.
Yesterday we heard #Planning reform won’t go ahead as planned.
Looks awfully like double victory for @LibDems
Tories 0 – Lib Dems 2.
— Wera Hobhouse MP 🔶 🇺🇦 (@Wera_Hobhouse) September 12, 2021
Mr Zahawi also raised concerns when he refused to commit the Government to holding a vote on the policy, promising instead to give MPs “appropriate scrutiny” of it.
However companies that already demanded proof of vaccination will be able to continue to do so it was reported.
Good that Health Sec confirmed that the Govt won’t be introducing Vaccine Passports.
Vast majority have been very sensible since restrictions were relaxed & evidence shows they aren’t needed. Great that so many have stepped up to be vaccinated which has helped make decision
— Craig Tracey MP (@craig4nwarks) September 12, 2021
Health Minister Sajid Javid has said: “I’ve never liked the idea of saying to people, ‘You must show your papers’ or something to do what is just an everyday activity,” “We’ve looked at it properly, and whilst we should keep it in reserve as a potential option, I’m pleased to say that we will not be going ahead with plans for vaccine passports.”
Hold it in reserve? We have heard that before.
Vaccine passports abandoned!!! https://t.co/amm6ySIwGu
— Andrew Lewer MP (@ALewerMBE) September 12, 2021
But this is not the first time the Government has backed tracked, in fact they pulled a similar move earlier in the year in June 2021 only to bring their ugly head back again.
We must not forget that vaccine passports are still used for overseas travel and in many countries all over the world. Wales is also looking to bring this forward next week and Scotland already passing a motion on their implementation from the 1st of October 2021. We must not lose sight that vaccine passports are discriminatory and that they are a tool in the globalist’s Great Reset, which would later transform their use into full digital identity wallets and used for social and risk scoring plus much more.
The fight is certainly not over against vaccine passports / digital ID, freedoms must be restored everywhere in the world; we need to keep up the pressure and let England be a beacon for hope for many others.
