London Daily

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

Nudge or nutcracker? Either way PM faces vaccine passport backlash

Nudge or nutcracker? Either way PM faces vaccine passport backlash

Analysis: Latest Covid policy announced on what was supposed to be ‘freedom day’ likely to provoke huge anger

What was billed as “freedom day” has ended with accusations that the government has paved the way for exactly the opposite, as Boris Johnson braces for the backlash to his plans to introduce vaccine passports in a matter of months.

The documents have long been a fascination of the prime minister, who touted their use for pubs and theatres back at the start of 2021, but acknowledged the moral dilemma they posed in a country that has always prided itself on opposition to a European-style “papers, please” regime.

Initially regarded as a way to unlock sectors that would find it harder to operate without social distancing, they were considered keenly by some in government, who noted their use in countries further ahead on the road to opening up, such as Israel.

But that is not the problem Johnson says the documents will solve: it is in tackling the vaccine hesitancy and apathy concentrated more among younger age groups that he sees as their main benefit.

The thinking is that by the end of September, when the passports are introduced, all adults will have been offered both jabs – giving a change to everyone to get vaccinated before locking them out of key social settings.


Figures in Downing Street said as far back as February that the documents were being considered as a way to “nudge” young people to get inoculated – given polling that found fewer people said they would get jabbed the further down the age groups you went and as the risks from Covid diminished.

This early warning sign should have been taken more seriously, one source involved in the plans said, arguing that Downing Street ignored the problem until it was backed into a corner and forced to make a quick decision after scenes emerged of hordes of revellers taking advantage of nightclubs reopening.

The timing was also questioned by one senior Tory, who asked: “Why the fuck do we have to announce it now?” It is a sentiment Downing Street will be well aware of – that this will inspire huge anger in Johnson’s own party. “I have backed most of the rules – even the ones I haven’t liked or that are distinctly unpopular – but I will struggle with this one,” the MP said.

At least 40 Conservative backbenchers have vowed to vote against such proposals, meaning Johnson’s majority in the House of Commons would be wiped out instantly, meaning he would have to rely on Labour – although Keir Starmer has not warmed to the idea before. Even ministers have expressed opposition to such a policy before, and the Equality and Human Rights Commission said it could be tantamount to unlawful discrimination.

There is another element likely to infuriate Johnson’s party: plans for the certificates to be available to show people’s recent negative test results or proof of antibodies appear to have been scrapped. The documents will only be able to show proof of vaccination.

This tougher approach might be more of a nutcracker than a nudge for people to get jabbed. There will be some who fear it could do more harm than good to those teetering on the edge: hardening the views of the vaccine-hesitant or vaccine-sceptic and playing into the hands of those peddling false conspiracy theories.

For all the promises that Monday would bring a mass restoration of freedoms, the government seems to be imposing a new set of legal restrictions: mandating social care staff to get vaccinated, forcing most double-vaccinated people to stay in isolation if pinged, and now bringing in vaccine passports for domestic use.

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
×