Michael Gove hinted on Thursday that plans for vaccine passports could be dropped because the alleged benefits are “finely balanced” against the “hassle” and “friction” that would come with introducing certification. But the i has reported that ministers have already signed several vaccine passport contracts, including one worth up to £21 million that can be renewed each year.
Speaking in the Commons today, Cabinet Minister Michael Gove said the Government is still reviewing whether Covid-status certifications could be used to help the return of “mingling at the bar” at large-scale pubs and to facilitate major events such as Premier League matches.
Asked whether vaccine passports might be used to reopen the hospitality sector, Mr Gove added: “It might be the case in venues like nightclubs you could see a role for it.” …
He added that in his “own view” any vaccine passport programme “has to be rescinded at some point in the future”.
However, i can reveal that the Government has already signed several vaccine passport contracts, including one worth up to £21 million that can be renewed each year.
The Department of Health and Social Care earlier this month signed a contract with HH Associates, a subsidiary of outsourcing firm HH Global, to produce paper vaccine passports for people who do not have access to a smartphone or computer.
The contract, worth up to £21 million this year, will see the Surrey-based firm print and post vaccine passports to members of the public in England unable to access their vaccination status for free digitally. The agreement is due to expire in May 2022 but can be extended annually…
People in England who have received two doses of a Covid jab are now able to access their Covid vaccination status via the NHS app, or by printing off a pdf of their certificate for free from the NHS website…
The Government’s website states that the certificates are for those who wish to travel to countries which require proof of vaccination.
But MPs and politicians have accused ministers of opening a backdoor to permanent ID cards without proper Parliamentary scrutiny.
“This is the biggest shift in civil liberties in the history of the United Kingdom. Why is it OK for this to happen by stealth?” said Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, former Director of advocacy group Liberty.
She told i: “This is a recipe for bullying and discrimination with no public consultation or Parliamentary consent. They promised us this was going to happen by consultation, and instead it’s happening by stealth. Liberal and libertarian Conservatives, like all U.K. citizens, must stand up.”
Steve Baker, Deputy Chair of the Covid Recovery Group of Tory MPs, told i: “The Government appears to have decided to introduce Covid-status certification – a two-tier checkpoint Britain – by stealth, without a vote in Parliament.”
He called on the Prime Minister to “pull the plug on that attempt” immediately and for Parliament’s spending watchdog to scrutinise the £21 million annual cost for the paper certificates.
Details on plans for the introduction of vaccine passports – as well as on mask-wearing rules beyond the fourth and final step of the “roadmap” – are expected by the end of the month.
The i report is worth reading in full.
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It could accelerate quite a bit. Those of us (like me) that have granted direct debit usually forget about it and let them grab the cash. No doubt it’s well understood that DD helps to maintain revenue. I was the treasurer of a an organisation for several years that manifested that effect. Very few new members that granted DD dropped out annually.
You can cancel your DD and apply for the return of any over payment.
I don’t even bother to self declare anymore. They send (obvious by the envelope) BBC threatening letters every couple of months which I take great joy in throwing away unopened these days.
I’ve not paid the BBC extortion for at least 15 years and before that it was only because my house mate wanted to watch TV and had an annoying habit of opening the door to randoms.
I responded to a “thank you for donating” email from Toby Young back in May with a quip about the BBC sending monthly threats for not using their service.
6 days later, and after years of no-one visiting in-person, an “officer” put a note through my door and sat in his car outside my house. In a remote location on a dead end road, this sort of activity stands out. I went out to take some pictures and a shabby bloke with an Eastern European accent confirmed he was from TV licensing. Rather than quizzing me about a TV, he got back in his car and drove away. No more letters so far.
Nor should you self declare. You don’t have to let Tescos know that you won’t be shopping with them.
You only need a TV licence for watching or recording live TV (broadcast, satellite or live streamed) and using iPlayer. You don’t need one for catch-up of ITV, etc.
Propaganda by coercion or propaganda by subscription? I prefer the latter because it’s easier to ignore. We only need to look at the criticism of the content to see that the brand recognition and reputation are a facade.
“BBC: Brainwashing Britain?” by David Sedgwick is quite a good read.
“… costing the BBC £430 a million a year.”
Cost is an outlay, what is happening to the BBC is a loss in revenue. There is a difference.
Apologies for repeating myself, but earlier this year I made a civil claim against the BBC for harrassment for continuing to send threatening letters after a visit from an “enforcement officer”. It was amazing that every letter or email they sent contained a lie. The culture of lies and disinformation obviously permeated all the way down to poor old Donna in Customer Relations. She couldn’t seem to help it! Any way they paid me £450…
Well done
Cheers
Brilliant!
Good.
The People´s Revolt has begun.
BBC is headed the way of Coutt´s bank and Costa coffee.
And good riddance.
Didn’t stop them giving Huw Edward’s a big old pay rise though just days before the shite hit the fan..
This is a good news story, but we need to be careful what we wish for. I believe in Aus, the licence fee was removed and instead the Gov now centrally funds it through normal taxation!
Then it will be no longer able to claim impartiality and people will see it as nothing more than a medium of government propaganda.
If it cannot control its bias then we must take its scalp.
I already pay somebody to put garbage out( the council) – I ain’t paying the BBC for the same.
The reason I cancelled my licence fee direct debit this year is due to the outright lies that are being presented as facts on the news (eg climate change related issues) and also the introduction of stress inducing beats throughout news programs on TV and radio. This is something that began just a couple of years ago. So even though the BBC does produce some excellent programs, I would not subscribe due to these issues.
The BBC is the mouthpiece of Satan.
I remember celebrating John Majors election victory outside Conservative HQ in Smith square. Whenever a BBC reporter tried to interview anyone a chant went up of “privatise the BBC”. Every time I read or hear the latest tosh from the BBC I think back to that moment. It really is time now.
Not paying the TV propaganda tax and not voting for any establishment party is surely the duty of everyone who believes in free speech, the nation state, liberty and freedom. They have gone rogue and thus no longer can enjoy our support and consent.