London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 21, 2025

No 10 refuses to rule out Covid passports being needed to enter some shops

No 10 refuses to rule out Covid passports being needed to enter some shops

PM’s spokesman says ‘no detail’ yet on whether clothes stores would require certificates after Labour criticism
Downing Street has left open the possibility that Covid status certificates could be needed for shoppers to enter clothes stores such as Next and H&M, if they are introduced.

The prime minister’s spokesman said people would not have to show the documents when accessing “essential” retail, but refused to offer a definition or any examples.

The shadow health secretary, Jon Ashworth, had earlier accused the government of “creating confusion” by not spelling out whether clothes shops in his Leicester South constituency such as Next and H&M would be covered by a certificate scheme.

He added that such a plan would be “discriminatory”, as Labour hardened its stance against the idea and the prospect of the government suffering a defeat in the Commons grew, given 41 Tory MPs have vowed to oppose it.

Boris Johnson’s spokesman said on Tuesday the certificates “could have an important role to play both domestically and internationally, in terms of allowing people to move back to something more close to normal”.

The documents would show a person had been vaccinated, had a recent negative test result or had antibodies through a confirmed infection within the previous six months. They are being piloted as part of a series of trials at mass events, along with other measures including changes to social distancing and ventilation, to investigate how effective such measures are at reducing transmission.

A government-commissioned review published on Monday found the certificates “could potentially play a role” in theatres, nightclubs, sports events and festivals, and help cut the need for social distancing in “hospitality settings” such as pubs and restaurants.

While the report made clear they would not be required in essential shops, public service buildings or on public transport, it left the possibility open for businesses such as pubs and restaurants to use the documents to control entry.

Pressed to explain which stores would count as “essential”, where the government says the certificates “should never be required”, Johnson’s spokesman suggested no definition had been created.

He said: “We are taking this work forward and we will consider all the evidence but the PM was clear there’ll be some essential settings and services, such as essential retail or public transport, where we believe that Covid status certification should not be required.”

Asked twice whether clothes stores could therefore be among the shops where certificates could be required, the spokesman said: “I obviously don’t have that detail for you now.”

He added: “As has been said, we are looking at how Covid status certification could have an important role to play domestically as well as internationally. We will come forward with more detail on them or how they may work in due course.”

Allegra Stratton, the prime minister’s press secretary, played down any nervousness in Downing Street about the fierce opposition from dozens of Tory backbenchers.

“We are quite a way away from knowing specifics of the proposal,” she said. “There isn’t yet a conversation to be had with backbenchers because we haven’t yet got the proposal.”

Earlier, Johnson suggested during a visit to an AstraZeneca plant in Macclesfield that vaccine passports for holidays abroad and other overseas travel were “going to be a fact of life, probably”.

He added the government had not “given up” on restarting international travel from 17 May, explaining: “I do want to see international travel start up again. We have to be realistic – a lot of the destinations that we want to go to at the moment are suffering a new wave of the illness. We can’t do it immediately.”

Labour has said certificates could be “discriminatory”, with Keir Starmer poised to vote against the measures. A senior Labour source confirmed to the Guardian that the leader and senior members of the shadow cabinet “are all minded to vote against” the proposals.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
×