Boris Johnson faces a battle to get plans for Covid vaccine passports into law after Sir Keir Starmer suggested needing one to go to the pub would be un-British.
The Labour leader hinted that his party could line up alongside Tory rebels to oppose the idea being examined by senior ministers.
Sir Keir said demanding certificates to enter pubs or sports events would go against the ‘British instinct’ and indicated that there could be public opposition if death rates are near zero and hospital admissions are very low.
Boris Johnson last week suggested pubs and other venues could require customers to show a vaccine passport – which are likely to feature a combination of vaccine and testing data – to gain entry to hospitality venues or events.
But while the idea has strong support among the public, according to polls, it is opposed by industry figures and politicians on economic and civil liberties grounds.
Sir Keir said his ‘instinct’ tells him there will be ‘a British sense that we don’t actually want to go down this road’ as the pandemic comes to an end.
It raises the prospect of Mr Johnson struggling to get any legislation on the issue through the Commons, if enough Tory backbenchers rebel in addition to Labour opposition.
Sir Keir Starmer (pictured) said demanding vaccine passports for entering pubs or sporting events would go against the ‘British instinct’
In an interview with the The Daily Telegraph he said: ‘My instinct is that, as the vaccine is rolled out, as the number of hospital admissions and deaths go down, there will be a British sense that we don’t actually want to go down this road.’
He continued: ‘I think this is really difficult and I’m not going to pretend there’s a clear black and white, yes-no easy answer on this.
‘It is extremely difficult. My instinct is that… (if) we get the virus properly under control, the death rates are near zero, hospital admissions very, very low, that the British instinct in those circumstances will be against vaccine passports.’
There has been a fevered debate over proposals to introduce so-called vaccine passports giving customers entry into venues.
Pub bosses across Britain said the idea was ‘absurd’ and ‘unworkable’ and signalled they would not ask customers for proof that they had been inoculated or were clear of coronavirus.
The boss of trade body UKHospitality yesterday warned that the scheme posed a legal minefield – while the chief executive of the British Retail Consortium warned it could lead to an increase in violence against shop workers.
Ministers are facing fierce opposition from some Tory MPs who believe the documents would impinge on civil liberties and privacy.
But the British public themselves appear to be in favour of the move, believing the economic benefits outweigh infringement of rights.
Ipsos Mori yesterday revealed that 62 per cent of Britons would back their introduction for people wanting to go for a pint or a meal with their family and 63 per cent want them to be used for people going to the gym.
Almost eight in 10 people (78 per cent) polled supported people having to show proof of a coronavirus vaccine to travel abroad or visit people in care homes.
And there was strong backing for them to be required to work as a frontline NHS medic or in a care home (79 per cent) as well as in schools (69 per cent).
Ed Davey became the latest party leader to oppose the passports today. He used a Daily Telegraph column to say they were ‘They are illiberal, unworkable and would be utterly ineffective in keeping people safe from Covid.’
Boris Johnson last week suggested pubs and other venues could require customers to show a vaccine passport – which are likely to feature a combination of vaccine and testing data – to gain entry to hospitality venues or events
Pubs and other venues could require customers to show a vaccine passport to gain entry (file image)
Mr Johnson has previously said that he acknowledges the ‘moral complexities’ around bringing in a domestic vaccine passport scheme. He is due to set out more details on potentially introducing it in early April.
A Whitehall source said one possibility being considered is that landlords may be able to scrap social distancing if they check Covid health certificates on entry.
The move would allow them to operate at much higher capacity and could be a strong incentive for them to participate in the scheme.
However, Sir Keir raised concerns around the suggestion that landlords could be allowed to decide for themselves,.
Customers during the Eat Out to Help Out scheme last August in Manchester
He said: ‘I think this idea that we sort of outsource this to individual landlords is just wrong in principle.’
Asked if he feels uncomfortable with the new Covid laws introduced, he explained that current restrictions should not be in place for longer than they are necessary.
‘If that was a long-term proposition I’d be very, very worried about it and I would be fighting it tooth and nail,’ he said.
‘Nobody wants these restrictions, nobody enjoys living under these restrictions, and they shouldn’t be in place for a moment longer than is absolutely necessary.’
Yesterday, hospitality and retail bosses warned that demanding vaccine passports for customers entering venues could pose legal issues and put staff in danger.
Speaking as part of a webinar hosted by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), Kate Nicholls, chief executive of trade body UKHospitality said: ‘This is quite a challenging issue for a lot of people to wrestle with.
‘If you are in a consumer environment, you have legal concerns regarding age, ethnicity, gender, and I don’t think considering a valid test alongside a vaccine certificate is enough.
‘From a consumer position, you will also have issues regarding frontline staff having to enforce the law about this.’
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, echoed these concerns and said that violence against shop workers had already increased sharply during the pandemic due to the enforcement of other restrictions.
‘We’re seeing, with mask-wearing particularly and other enforcement issues, that the levels of violence and abuse against people on the front line – be that delivery driver, supermarket or convenience shop worker – there were about 400 incidents a day pre-Covid but they say that has gone up really significantly.
‘The paradigm has moved over the past few months as people have become more frustrated over the rules.’
But Ms Nicholls said she believes international travel and major events were the ‘two areas where certification could really work’.
She also said she hoped social distancing restrictions could be fully removed by the June 21 road map date without the need for vaccine certification.
‘The Government appears to be linking certifications and the removal of social distancing – the price is too high to say it can only be removed with certificates in place,’ she said.
‘The Prime Minister has said they want to remove everything by June 21 and people see this as ‘life back to normal’.
‘From businesses’ point of view, there are a lot of people who have heard they can trade as normal by June 21, but if there is any conditionality or controls here they need to say so soon.
‘And then the Chancellor needs to go back as the Budget commitments won’t be sufficient in their current plans.’
Tory backbenchers, publicans and some scientists have raised concerns over the possible introduction of coronavirus health certificates as England’s lockdown is eased.
Ministers are studying their potential use, which could see access to venues granted only if customers have been jabbed, received negative tests, or developed antibodies through past infection.
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