When the Government holds a vote on vaccine passports, the support of the Labour benches will be vital for a victory (presuming that a decent number of Conservative MPs vote “no”). But Keir Starmer has yet to decide whether to back the Government over the introduction of such certification and was “really angry” that an interview he gave to the Telegraph last week foregrounded his criticism of the idea. The Guardian has the story.
Keir Starmer is weighing up whether to support Covid status certificates in a vote within weeks for which he could lend the Government crucial support to pass one of its most controversial coronavirus policies.
The Labour leader has been hesitant to endorse a proposal that would mean people would have to prove they had been vaccinated, had a recent negative test or antibodies from prior infection in order to access venues such as theatres and sports stadiums. …
Labour is trying to keep its options open given that details about the plan are scarce, and will hope that attention remains on the splits within the Conservative party, where more than 40 of Boris Johnson’s backbenchers have branded the idea “divisive and discriminatory” and vowed to oppose it.
But after dozens of prominent Labour backbenchers, including the former party leader Jeremy Corbyn, also pledged to vote against the certificates, Starmer is being forced to decide whether he should give the Government the support it may need.
A Labour source said Starmer’s team was “worried that this issue splits the PLP [parliamentary Labour party] just like it splits the Tory party” and was “really angry” that an interview he gave to the Telegraph last week was headlined on his criticism of the Covid status certificates.
They admitted: “There isn’t really a consensus yet” within the party, though they predicted Labour would probably end up supporting the certificates “but probably not make much of a song and dance about it”.
The “reservations are real”, says another Labour source – but mainly around the “digital infrastructure” of Covid passports, rather than about their implication on liberty.
That’s about as much “opposition” as we can expect from the notional Leader of the Opposition.
Worth reading in full.
Stop Press: Labour has called vaccine passports “discriminatory” and appears to be leaning towards opposing the Government on a Covid ID card scheme. The Guardian has the story.
The Shadow Health Secretary, Jon Ashworth, accused the Government of “creating confusion” by not explaining clearly where the documents may be needed, after Boris Johnson confirmed they were being investigated but would not be introduced earlier than mid-May.
“I’m not going to support a policy that, here in my Leicester constituency, if someone wants to go into Next or H&M, they have to produce a vaccination certificate on their phone, on an app,” Ashworth told BBC Breakfast. “I think that’s discriminatory.”
He added it made sense to ask people to get tested before going to events such as a football game, but warned that forcing everyone to carry an “ID card” proving they had been jabbed was not fair.
Worth reading in full.
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Is it still a thing to be first?
No.
He must be conflicted… “They’ll hate me if i do it… but muh communism and muh authoritarianism… What would Stalin do?”
What would Tony Benn or even Michael Foot do ? (from a cultural tory)
Just take the knee Keir you useless article.
Some lawyer.
Was he asleep when they had lessons on Constitutional law when he was studying or was he off playing politics somewhere?
How can any lawyer fail to see the constitutional implications unless you worked for the Sovs.
BigBrotherWatch have launched a crowdfunder to try a legal challenge.
Worth a punt if you want to try and do something other than verbally have a go at Boris et al.
Best £20 I’ve spent since Simon Dolan’s legal challenge last year.
I feel the Dolan one was a bit of a waste of money in the end. System seemed rigged against it. At least we got the date minutes.
*sage
Likewise!
BigBrotherWatch tells us in its own descriptive blurb that extraordinary measures are required to protect public health, but it doesn’t say whether we are now in a situation that justifies such measures. I could be wrong about this, but I don’t find what they have said at all reassuring.
There is no disease pandemic and all the problems being laid at the door of Covid, have arisen directly because of government action.
These main problem areas are loss of various basic freedoms, useless humiliating mask mandates, numbskull policing, the right to carry out certain business operations, useless large scale testing, curtailment of basic healthcare, and not least the introduction of mass programmes of injectable agents that have no proven benefits and are apparently killing very many of those foolish enough to roll up their sleeves.
If BBW is really interested in addressing government malfeasance, then it should consider amending its dubious opening statement and then I would be able to consider giving it some worthwhile financial support.
Have you contacted BBW with your concerns/views.
If they don’t know then they can’t correct themselves
I gave a donation to BBW but was then alerted to the fact that one of their funding organisations is apparently Open Society, founded by George Soros. I contacted them to voice my concerns – but never received a reply. So I unsubscribed from them. Disappointing.
Starmer is a self-seeking pole-climber – just like Johnson and most dummies on the HoC benches. It’s nothing to do with being a ‘Stalinist’ or anything else – it’s pure ambition and pusillanimity.
For any real Labour politician (a dying breed) there would be absolutely no choice, given all the international agreements on this issue.
If you think he doesn’t have an agenda you really need to look up the Trilateral Commission.
You don’t have to look that far for his agenda, any more than you do for Mr Toad’s. Its incidental.
An old Rancher is talking about politics with a young man from the city. He compares a politician to a “post turtle.” The young man doesn’t understand and asks him what a post turtle is.
The old man says, “When you’re driving down a country road and you see a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that’s a post turtle. You know he didn’t get up there by himself. He doesn’t belong there; you wonder who put him there; he can’t get anything done while he’s up there; and you just want to help the poor, dumb thing down.” Starmer.
Following several recent events, I watched this with some pleasure
https://twitter.com/JamesHeartfield/status/1378629816354803712
How about doing ‘the right thing’ instead of playing tactical politics?!
Silly me.
Let’s not forget who he really works for
Trilateral Commission.
^^^^^
THAT.
”the public needs to be reduced to its proper state of apathy and obedience” yes that Trilaterial Commission where he happily helps plot the rise of the elite as a ‘socialist’ leader.
In the unlikely event of Starmer ever doing the right thing, it would almost certainly be for the wrong reasons.
He hasn’t decided because he hasn’t received his orders from the Tony Blair Institute yet. But he will, and he will back the passports.
There is no prospect whatsoever of Labour putting up any serious opposition to this. None. Put that idea out of your heads right now and think of other ways to oppose it.
Labour will abstain, some of the 72 will be paid off, the government will easily win any vote.
I’m wondering if it might be possible for us all to register all these wankers to recieve a deluge of testing kits twice a week? Given the quality of past Govt IT projects i’m hoping it will be a doddle.
Worth marking package as not at this address and send to BJ at 9,10,11 Downing Street. His office and living space seems to have spread.
What’s to debate ? Of course Starmer has been as much use as mammary glands on a bos taurus throughout this whole saga so why does anybody think this pusillanimous pismire will grow a spine now ???
Surely KS should be falling back on his legal knowledge to declare apartheid certificates illegal. Good to see this happening in the US
he needs to get off the fence before boris says he is taking too many fences at once! does anyone have a reasonable outline to write to their MP about this issue. it is unlikely that mine is going to change her mind but it is probably worth a shot?
It depends how much he wants to be PM? Should he listen to Tony Blair or go for inflicting damage on the faux Conservatives?
In Westminster they are still playing pretty March 2020 politics and have yet to catch up with what is going on in the real world!
A plague – you know, a real one with corpusculent puss-filled emanations – on both Labour and Tory houses.
Dear me, the wishy-washy fence sitting from the current Labour Party is not a good look at all, and they seem unable to appreciate it.
Do they stand for anything at all, or is it just the kneeling now?
This man has no moral compass. It is about what is right and what is wrong and there is plenty of science out there which contradicts the governments narrative and examples of non lockdown etc to back up that science. I am still waiting for this government to debate with the likes of Mike Yeadon, Prof Dolores Cahill, Dr Vernon Coleman and the many groups of doctors worldwide who are against this tyranny.
Pretty much correct. He’s an ex-pro lawyer; moral compasses are not required. As an ambivalent member of the Labour Party, I would drop out if they support the Government on crass ideas like this. It’s almost as if there is no effective opposition at present.
The only way to influence this is to make the Conservative Party fear for their jobs.
Although the elections on 6 May 2021 are ‘only’ local elections, not a General Election, we can still send a powerful message. I had an election leaflet from the Conservatives put through my letter box, with the name and telephone number of the local candidate. I texted her as follows”:
“Alison,
Thank you for your letter and application to vote by post. Are you in favour of the use of Covid passports within the UK for access to venues and events such as sporting events, theatres, cinemas, restaurants and pubs? If you are in favour of Covid passports within the UK I shall not be voting for you. My vote will go to the Liberal Democrats, who – unlike the current Conservative Party – seem to be both Liberal and democratic. If you are NOT in favour of the use of Covid passports within the UK, please lobby the Spelthorne constituency office to have a word with Mr Gove that he should re-discover true Conservative values. Thank you”
I then added my name and address.
If everyone did this, it would send a powerful message up through the grassroots constituencies to Conservative Central. We need to be ready to follow through on the threat to vote Lib Dem, or whoever will oppose Covid Passports. I will do this – the Lib Dems could mess things up, and I will be able to vote against them in 4 years. If this Government gets their way with Covid Passports – local elections won’t matter anyway.
Voting LibDem eh! Really obnoxious, but I agree if you can find anyone prepared to go against vaccination passports and the rest they’ve got my vote. It’s difficult what a shitty time.