The Government will NOT go ahead with plans for vaccine passports to gain access to nightclubs and other crowded venues, Health Secretary Sajid Javid has said.
In a major U-turn to previously announced plans, there will be no introduction of the scheme at the end of September.
Plans had previously been announced that members of the public would be required to show proof they have had two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine in order to gain entry to nightclubs and other large-scale events in England.
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But in a major U-turn on Sunday, following a backlash from Tory MPs, the Health Secretary has confirmed to the BBC that the idea had been scrapped.
He told The Andrew Marr Show: “I’ve never liked the idea of saying to people you must show your papers or something to do what is just an everyday activity, but we were right to properly look at it.
“We’ve looked at it properly and whilst we should keep it in reserve as a potential option, I’m pleased to say that we will not be going ahead with plans for vaccine passports.”
The proposal had faced widespread criticism from opposition parties and from hospitality and nightlife chiefs who blasted it as "unworkable".
It comes after The Guardian reported earlier this month that new data showed some people would be more reluctant to be vaccinated if such passports were introduced.
Analysis was conducted of 16,527 people, 14,543 of whom had not yet had both vaccine doses.
Mr Javid's comments came ahead of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's expected announcement on Tuesday outlining the winter plans for dealing with coronavirus.
