Opposition to domestic vaccine passports appears to be growing in the Commons. More than 70 MPs – from differing political parties – have voiced their concern over the introduction of “discriminatory” Covid IDs. Katy Balls in the Spectator has the story.
As Boris Johnson prepares to deliver an update on Monday on Government plans for immunity passports and international travel, the Prime Minister is already facing a parliamentary backlash. More than 70 MPs have voiced their concern over the use of “divisive and discriminatory” immunity IDs in England. The cross-party group opposing ranges from Iain Duncan Smith and Steve Baker to Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott.
While the Government insists no final decision has been taken, the expectation in Government is that immunity IDs are coming. MPs on the various “listening exercises” Michael Gove has hosted this week, came away thinking immunity passports are a done deal – no matter what they make of them. There’s also a sense that they could underpin any easing. MPs interested in the social distancing review are being directed to the immunity certificate review. This suggests ministers view the way to ending social distancing as showing one’s Covid status.
The cross-party group of politicians has signed a pledge not to support the introduction of domestic Covid passports. Sky News has more details on the pledge’s signatories.
The signatories to the pledge include leading Tory Covid rebels such as Mark Harper and Steve Baker, who run the Covid Recovery Group (CRG) of Conservative MPs, ex-Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and former cabinet ministers Esther McVey, Andrew Mitchell and Sir John Redwood.
Another of the Conservative signatories, Sir Graham Brady, who chairs the influential 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, said: “Covid-status certification would be divisive and discriminatory.
“With high levels of vaccination protecting the vulnerable and making transmission less likely, we should aim to return to normal life, not to put permanent restrictions in place.”
A 20-strong group of Labour MPs has signed the pledge, including former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott and ex-shadow chancellor John McDonnell.
Labour peer Baroness Shami Chakrabarti and ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who now sits as an independent MP, have also joined the campaign.
“International travel is a luxury but participating in your own community is a fundamental right,” said Baroness Chakrabarti, who used to run civil liberties and human rights group Liberty.
“So internal Covid passports are an authoritarian step too far.”
Almost all Liberal Democrat MPs have signed the pledge, with their party leader Sir Ed Davey having this week branded the use of Covid passports within the UK as “illiberal” and “unworkable”.
“As we start to get this virus properly under control we should start getting our freedoms back, vaccine passports – essentially Covid ID cards – take us in the other direction,” he said.
The Spectator’s report is worth reading in full.
To join in with the discussion please make a donation to The Daily Sceptic.
Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.
I wonder who the WEF have lined up to take over from Ardern. Is this Luxon chap a ‘young globalist leader’ by any chance?
And a tidy WEF sinecure for horse face so she won’t care anyway.
From what I read he is a solid right of centre type guy with views to match. Businessman and CEO of Air New Zealand. It looks like a coalition is the most likely possibility. No info on potential partners in power. You know how bad junior partners are for corrupting the plan.
Thanks for that.
The National Party is a typical centre-right managerialist party used to being a party of government and lacking a clear philosophy. The ACT Party is a classical liberal party with a strong commitment to individual freedom and limitations on the size and scope of the state. The best plausible outcome would be a coalition between the two with ACT in a strong position and able to prevent National drifting leftwards in government, as it usually does. There is much work to do to restore a strong economy and democratic governance based upon the equal civic status of all citizens rather than the privileged civic status for the Maori minority introduced by Ardern.
Neigh, I’ll believe it when I see it.
Perhaps it’ll give her something to chew on over Christmas.
It doesn’t matter, it’s all a charade anyway.
Yes her popularity is tanking but not because of the jibby jabs unfortunately!
Long live the fallen idols
All moths into the flame
You’re chasing your own shadows
Are you not entertained?
— Five Finger Death Punch
The old nag’s job is done. She’ll be amply rewarded for her efforts in some shape or form. Do they have honours systems or such like in NZ?
The only system she should be in is that of a prison, alongside her multinational worldwide WEF colleagues.
Yup. Just look how Mary Robinson’s career worked out after a spell as Irish President. I bet she isn’t too anxious about paying her electricity bill.
I’ll wait and see…
The first thing is to never underestimate the stupidity of the voting public…(i.e re-election of ‘Dictator’ Dan Andrews’)
And second, are we supposed to trust the system any more?…Aren’t all elections decided before hand these days?….It’s hard to explain the re-election of so many despised ‘leaders’ throughout the West otherwise….