County's MPs back Covid passport scheme

Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, and Mark Pritchard, MP for The Wrekin, said they were largely in favour of such a scheme if it helped to safely reopen the economy.

But they also said care must be taken to ensure that it does not add an extra barrier to businesses which have already suffered as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

A "Covid status certification" scheme is being developed by the Government to enable concerts and sporting matches to take place.

It would record whether people had been vaccinated, recently tested negative or had natural immunity after previously contracting the virus.

The government is also trialling other ways of holding mass events safely.

Sports minister Nigel Huddleston said the trials would be a learning experience, and added that no decisions had been made about processes or vaccine certification.

Mr Kawczynski said he supported the idea of some form of certification in principle.

"We have come through a very difficult time, we need to get back to some sense of normality as soon as possible," he said.

"If they are going to play a part in giving back that initial confidence to everybody being able to return to crowded places, then it's something I would very much support."

Mr Kawczynski said this did depend, though, on which events and venues would fall under the passport scheme.

"We will be watching that very carefully, but in principle I support vaccine passports," he said.

Mark Pritchard, MP for The Wrekin, said he broadly supported the idea of certification as the coronavirus restrictions are gradually eased. But he said it was important that steps were taken to protect businesses which had already suffered great hardship.

"Some proof of a vaccine or not posing a health risk to others will be required, but it should not be a new barrier for businesses trying to recoup some of their lost earnings because of the pandemic," he said.

Lucy Allan, MP for Telford, said last week that while she would have no problem with a vaccine passport system for overseas travel, she thought it would be unnecessary domestically.

"It is difficult to see how it could be enforced and where the line would be drawn," she said.

"It is clear that given almost every adult in the UK will be vaccinated by the autumn, the risk to the population will reduce significantly and we should only introduce restrictions on our freedoms where absolutely essential.

"A passport to go the shops or get on a bus would be unworkable."