Boris gives Michael “hospital pass” Gove complex vaccine passport problem
Boris Johnson has admitted there are “deep and complex” issues to be considered on the issue of vaccine certificates. The controversial idea is being floated as a way to help entertainment and hospitality venues get up and running again.
The PM has handed over the nitty-gritty to Michael Gove, who has been asked to lead a review looking into the “scientific, moral, philosophical, ethical” questions the introduction of certificates poses.
Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccines minister, has previously said there were no plans afoot to use vaccine passports domestically.
The news comes as the country digests the PM’s plan to exit lockdown once and for all. Despite the insistence on “data not dates”, dates are exactly what we got – easing will be gradual, but all restrictions could be lifted by 21 June.
The exit plan was pitched as the Third Way – a compromise to try to appease both lockdown hawks and doves. Johnson will be pleased with how it’s gone down. He has so far avoided a backlash from his lockdown-sceptic backbenchers, partly thanks to his firm stance on the idea of eliminating the virus altogether. There was, Johnson said, “no credible route to a zero-Covid Britain or indeed a zero-Covid world.”
Downing Street will also be chuffed to see that the pace of the plan meets the national mood. A snap YouGov poll has shown that just 16 per cent of the public think the exit plan is too slow, 46 per cent think it’s about right, and a full 26 per cent (!) believe it’s too fast.
Speaking at a South London school earlier today, the PM reiterated the timetable wasn’t a guarantee. One reason for caution is vaccine hesitancy, which could become a nasty snag to unlocking smoothly. Dr Mike Tildesley, reader in mathematical modelling of infectious diseases at the University of Warwick and member of government advisory group SPI-M, has warned that disparities in vaccine uptake was a “real concern”.
The worry is that even if overall infection levels fall there will still be pockets of disease which hit deprived communities the hardest and which could, Dr Tildesley said, pose a risk to the wider population.
It’s going to be a tricky one to solve. The intuitive response for a big publicity drive could backfire; the more the government makes a song and dance about the vaccine, the more suspicious some might become of it. All hopes are being pinned on the current strategy – talks with local community and faith leaders who are influential among at-risk minorities.
The Scottish play
The political drama in Scotland is building, with Alex Salmond refusing to appear tomorrow before the official inquiry into the Scottish government’s botched handling of sexual harassment claims made against him.
The news follows a decision by the Scottish parliament to redact the published version of his evidence submitted by Salmond – apparently to protect the identities of some of the women who made the allegations against him. Salmond has instead offered to appear before MSPs on Friday.
Redacted or not, Salmond’s statement is explosive. In his submission, the former first minister claims he has been the victim of “a deliberate, prolonged, malicious and concerted effort amongst a range of individuals within the Scottish government and the SNP to damage my reputation, even to the extent of having me imprisoned.”
Among those Salmond names as complicit in the conspiracy include Nicola Sturgeon’s husband Peter Murrell, who is the chief executive of the SNP. Salmond has also accused Sturgeon of misleading parliament and breaching the ministerial code – and called for her to resign. See The Hound, below, for more, pre and post redaction.
Sturgeon, meanwhile, is having to manage this Shakespearean tragedy/farce alongside another early modern problem: plague. Speaking today, the First Minister laid out Scotland’s more “cautious” path out of lockdown. Children up to Year 3 returned to school yesterday and care home residents are now allowed visitors. Further easing will come mid-March with all stay at home restrictions to be lifted on 5 April. A return to the regional tier system and a reopening of pubs is planned for 26 April.
Let’s fly, let’s fly away
We still can’t be certain when international travel will be allowed again. The PM’s plan put 17 May as the earliest date that jetting abroad might be permitted, but the decision will be subject to a review in April.
But sun-starved Brits just don’t care. The UK’s biggest holiday firm, Tui, said bookings for foreign trips jumped 500 per cent overnight. EasyJet reported a 630 per cent surge, for Mediterranean beach destinations in particular.
To capitalise on demand, airlines have slashed prices to the bone. SkyScanner reports that the price of flights to Spain and Portugal has dropped by two thirds and the average cost of a flight to Italy in August is now £24, compared to £131 this time last year. For the price of a high-end face mask, it’s probably worth a punt.
Mattie Brignal,
News Editor