Zahawi: vaccine passport plans will be put to Parliament
Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccines minister, has insisted that a Commons vote on vaccine passports would “absolutely” take place, after Boris Johnson failed to commit to giving Parliament a say yesterday.
The government is currently reviewing “Covid Status Certification” – vaccine passports in all but name – which will be trialled at sporting events in the spring. Entry will be conditional on a recent negative test, proof of a vaccine, or immunity from a previous infection.
The review could pave the way for theatres, nightclubs, festivals, and sports venues to require presenting the right electronic papers as a condition of entry. The Prime Minister has ruled out Covid passports in England to go to pubs, restaurants, essential shops, or to access public services.
MPs of all stripes are up in arms. The Liberal Democrats have said they oppose the idea. And while Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, has suggested that Labour could support the scheme in certain circumstances, a senior Labour source said that Sir Keir Starmer and other prominent MPs “are all minded to vote against”. A leak this evening to Huff Post suggests the Labour frontbench will try to vote down the scheme in its entirety – as it stands.
Iain Duncan Smith summed up the frustrations of his liberally-minded colleagues: “We were told the vaccine was the way out, no ifs, no buts… We are headed for a hellish demi-lockdown, where we have to be tested all the time, carry a vaccine passport everywhere and are under the constant threat of being locked down again.”
Johnson’s hint yesterday that he might simply sidestep a parliamentary vote on passports was a reminder that democratic norms are now considered optional extras. After a year of rule by decree, you can see the appeal. Why go through the hassle of exposing a policy to scrutiny and run the risk of being defeated?
And the risk is real. If Labour MPs do vote against, then the fate of the scheme would be determined by the size of the Tory rebellion. A total of 41 Conservative MPs have already made it clear that they would not support the proposal. The government has got used to waving measures through Parliament without resistance. It looks like vaccine passports could be the issue that finally sparks a real revolt.
Blood clot fears strike back
The European Medicines Agency has insisted that it has “not yet reached a conclusion” about the possible connection between the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and a rare blood clotting syndrome, just hours after one of its officials said there was a “clear link”.
In a statement, the EMA said that its review was “ongoing” and that it expected to announce the findings on Wednesday or Thursday. The investigation comes amid growing concerns about the potential side effect, with Channel 4 News reporting that the UK vaccines regulator, the MHRA, is considering recommending that other vaccines be used for younger age groups.
While these reports are concerning, it’s worth reminding ourselves of the figures. Covid-19 kills around 1 in 150 people infected, whereas fewer than one in 2 million people who have been vaccinated have died of the blood clots in the UK.
With these figures under constant review, the World Health Organisation, EMA and MHRA have all said people should continue taking the vaccine because the benefits in preventing Covid infection and its complications continue to far outweigh any risks.
But the mixed messaging from both the UK and the EU over what is – at worst – a very rare side effect, will do little to improve confidence in a vaccine that already suffers low levels of trust among some of the groups that are most vulnerable to the disease.
Bittersweet for Bibi
It’s been a day of two halves for Benjamin Nethanyahu. On the one hand, he has just been invited by Israel’s President, Reuven Rivlin, to try and form a government following an inconclusive election. On the other, he just spent most of the day in court charged with trading political favours with media moguls in return for favourable coverage.
This will make forming a government quite a bit harder.
Israel has already seen three other inconclusive elections in two years. Israel’s proportional representation system makes coalition-building vital. Despite the PM’s outstanding corruption charges, Likud, the party led by Nethanyahu, has emerged as the biggest party.
Yet the charges and tensions over policy mean other parties are refusing to deal with him. The allies he does have might well bolt if he has to bring current opponents into the fold, such as the conservative Arab party, Raam.
But Nethanyahu’s opponents – who range from Jewish nationalists to Arab Israelis – have also struggled to form governments. After four elections, perhaps the only thing that might break the deadlock would be Nethanyahu leaving the political scene. Given his determination to cling to power it is hard to see how that would happen unless he is convicted.
Mattie Brignal,
News Editor