Boris Johnson has been accused of letting his vaccine passports plan descend into disarray as a leaked letter from government lawyers stated that “no final policy decision” had been taken on requiring the passes in nightclubs.
The Prime Minister had said that full vaccination will be a condition of entry for nightclubs and large venues by the end of September, in a move that sparked a backlash by hospitality industry leaders and divided opinion among ministers.
In a letter written on behalf of Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, last week, the Government Legal Department stated that “no final policy decision has yet been taken” in relation to the issue, adding that “any further announcements will be made in due course”. The letter appears at odds with comments by Boris Johnson who has said those attending nightclubs and “other venues where large crowds gather” in England will need to be fully vaccinated from that date.
Kwasi Kwarteng, the Business Secretary, also states in an interview with The Telegraph that vaccine passports are “certain to happen now, in certain limited, restricted areas”. However, Mr Kwarteng refused to confirm that the requirements would be introduced specifically for nightclubs, stating: “I’m just not committing to what those areas are. But I’m ruling them out for pubs.”
On Friday afternoon, a Government spokesman simply said that “we reserve the right” to require the NHS Covid Pass “in certain settings”. But on Saturday night, No 10 intervened to state explicitly that the Government was “planning to make full vaccination the condition of entry to nightclubs.” The No10 spokesman added: "As we made clear when this was announced in July, this is about protecting people in settings where the virus is most likely to spread, and vaccines are the best possible way to do this.”
The ambiguity over the Government’s approach comes after it emerged last month that several ministers had expressed concerns about the plans, including due to the timing of Mr Johnson’s announcement alongside the July 19 reopening, fears over a possible clash with equalities legislation, and the potential risk of legal action against venues.
Those backing the policy, however, have argued that it would help drive up vaccine uptake among 18 to 30-year-olds. The requirement was planned for the end of September on the basis that all eligible adults aged over 18 will have had the chance to have both jabs.
The letter, a copy of which was leaked to this newspaper, was written to solicitors representing Hugh Osmond, the founder of Punch Taverns and director of Various Eateries, who has threatened to sue the Government over the proposed move. Mr Osmond said: “The one thing the letter makes clear is that they have no idea what their policy actually is. As so often, rushed rhetoric without any thought to the implications, practicalities or ramifications”.
BIB Indeed … 
