London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 30, 2025

‘Most appalling idea & almost certainly illegal’: Brits protest over Johnson’s suggestion that pubs could ban the unvaccinated

‘Most appalling idea & almost certainly illegal’: Brits protest over Johnson’s suggestion that pubs could ban the unvaccinated

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was condemned by publicans and drinkers alike after he announced that pubs could ban people from entering if they haven’t been vaccinated against Covid-19.

Johnson told MPs on Wednesday that vaccine mandates “may be up to individual publicans” or landlords, and that the “concept of vaccine certification should not be totally alien to us.”

The prime minister’s comments prompted criticism from members of his own party, including Covid Recovery Group Deputy Chairman Steve Baker MP, who said Johnson has “[begun] to tread a dangerous path” and that politicians “must not fall into this ghastly trap.”

Hugh Osmond, the founder of UK pub chain Punch Taverns, told talkRADIO on Thursday that he would not be requiring vaccine certification from Brits to enter his pubs, calling it “the most appalling idea” and “almost certainly illegal.”

“It would be incredibly discriminatory against young people who haven’t even been offered the vaccine yet,” he noted.


Kate Nicholls, the CEO of hospitality trade association UKHospitality, said the idea was not “necessary or proportionate” and “would put lots of businesses in a very difficult position.”




Adam Brooks, a publican who runs several pubs, also protested against vaccine certification and announced that he would not be implementing it in his own establishments.

“Anything but normal trading past June 21st is an utter DISGRACE,” he tweeted. “Once every adult has been OFFERED vaccination, the Government & Health care system has done its job. Life has to return to normal or ulterior motives are in play.”

In February, Covid-19 Vaccine Deployment Minister Nadhim Zahawi told Sky News that the government was not looking at the possibility of creating a domestic vaccine passport, saying it “would be discriminatory.”

Just days later, however, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab claimed the idea hadn’t “been ruled out” and was “under consideration.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
Explosive Email Shows Sarah Ferguson Begged Forgiveness from Jeffrey Epstein After Taking His Money
×