CORONAVIRUS

Covid vaccine passports scrapped for winter by Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson is abandoning the proposals as the government begins its booster programme
Boris Johnson is abandoning the proposals as the government begins its booster programme
WPA POOL/GETTY IMAGES

Boris Johnson will announce this week that he is scrapping plans that would have required vaccine passports for entry to nightclubs, cinemas and sports grounds.

On Tuesday, the prime minister will announce plans to try to keep Covid under control over the winter. He will say that he has abandoned the proposed compulsory certification scheme, which would have forced venues to check people’s vaccine status.

Johnson tore up the proposals after scientists said vaccinations would be an effective first line of defence against a winter wave of the pandemic. But the move also represents a significant concession to Tory backbench rebels who had complained that enforcing vaccine passports would create a group of second-class citizens.

Companies that already demand proof of vaccination will be