Will Boris Johnson struggle to get MPs behind Covid passports?

The prime minister is set to outline further details on Monday, writes Ashley Cowburn, but it is by no means certain his plans will receive Commons backing

There are growing concerns the government will fail to muster the required numbers in the Commons (Reuters)

Boris Johnson’s columns always come back to haunt him. Registering his discontent at the Labour government’s consideration of mandatory ID cards in 2004, the then backbench MP wrote in The Daily Telegraph that if he is ever asked to produce one on the streets of London he would “take the card out of my wallet and physically eat it in the presence of whatever emanation of the state has demanded that I produce it”.

“If I am incapable of consuming it whole, I will masticate the card to the point of illegibility,” he went on. “And if that fails, or if my teeth break with the effort, I will take out my pen knife and cut it up in front of the officer concerned.”

As the prime minister now attempting to navigate the country out of its third lockdown, Mr Johnson’s government is seriously examining the use of domestic Covid passports so that the public can enter pubs, restaurants, theatres and other social venues. If he were still a columnist perhaps cries of a “loss of liberty” would be repeated once more.

While ministers have already accepted that some form of Covid passport will be required to travel internationally as the pandemic recedes in Britain, the government insists no final decision has been taken on domestic use.

If introduced, it is likely individuals would have to use an updated version of the NHS app to log whether they have had a recent negative test, been vaccinated or have antibodies. Reports have also suggested the government is preparing to pilot asking people to use certification in “test events” at football stadiums and theatres in the spring.

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The prime minister tasked Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, with reviewing a range of issues involved in the use of Covid passports, including ethical, privacy and legal concerns, alongside questions over whether certain groups could be discriminated against – something ministers were suggesting on the airwaves as little as two months ago. It will also examine whether any limits should be placed on organisations using certification. 

Mr Johnson is expected to announce the interim details of said review on Monday, but he is facing mounting resistance from MPs and if he plans to introduce legislation to enact plans, there are growing concerns the government will fail to muster the required numbers in the Commons.

On Friday, the plans brought together an unlikely alliance of left-wing Labour MPs and Conservative backbenchers in opposition, with 70 signing a letter describing vaccine passports for domestic use as “divisive and discriminatory”. The Labour leader Sir Keir has also put on record his doubts, suggesting the “British instinct” would be against them.

Former director of Liberty Baroness Chakrabarti, who also joined the campaign, warned this week: “History demonstrates, even in Britain, that when you inject an element of compulsion into public health measures, such as vaccination or symptomatic testing, you encourage resistance and scepticism amongst the population.

“It’s one thing to have a passport to travel internationally, that is a privilege, even a luxury, but participating in local community life is a fundamental right.”

Sensing the looming rebellion and perhaps after re-examining his old cuttings in The Daily Telegraph which warned of the “creepy reality” of the state using ID cards to go beyond the “best possible intentions”, the prime minister will reportedly tell MPs that Covid passports will have a time limit of less than one year. It is by no means certain that if Mr Johnson gives the green light to some form of Covid passports he will receive the required backing in the Commons.