“Papers, please.” (Or, more accurately, “QR code please”.)
Thursday March 25 2021
 | By Daniel Capurro,
Front Bench Editor |
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“Papers, please.” (Or, more accurately, “QR code please”.) Is that the phrase set to ring out at pubs across the land? Boris Johnson suggested so in his appearance before the Commons Liaison Committee yesterday.
While answering questions on vaccines, the idea of publicans asking for proof of vaccination came up and the Prime Minister responded: "I think that that's the kind of thing – it may be up to individual publicans, it may be up to the landlord."
Now, let’s be clear, that’s the worst possible response to the question of vaccine certificates. When your newsletter editor spoke to experts about domestic vaccine passports last month, they were clear that leaving it up to businesses was a terrible idea that would lead to discrimination, confrontation and all-round chaos and unfairness.
No 10 was quick to try to clarify the comments, while Government figures pointed to the review that is underway and set to report back on vaccine certificates on June 21.
But the idea is clearly floating around in Government that permitting pubs to ask for certificates might allow landlords to ditch social distancing requirements and make more money. At the moment, the roadmap still talks about table service and so on.
The most immediate question to arise is obviously one of discrimination. No 10 was very quick to point out that a negative test could take the place of a vaccine for those not eligible (e.g. pregnant women and children). But that doesn’t really address the issue.
For one, a test is nowhere near as convenient as a vaccine certificate, and that’s without raising the question of how often tests would need to be taken. But the UK isn’t making vaccines compulsory, and so long as people can reject a vaccine for any reason, denying them services will be ethically dubious. Especially when they are likely to disproportionately come from minority backgrounds.
That’s an issue already brought up by unhappy Tory backbenchers, including Steve Baker, who has called vaccine certificates a “ghastly trap”.
There’s also the problem raised by the industry itself of quite how pubs and restaurants are meant to enforce these rules. Is it realistic to expect overburdened pub staff to deal with irate un-vaccinated customers?
For now, there’s not much clarity as to what will happen and there may not be until the review is published. In the meantime though, it’s just 18 days until pubs can reopen for outdoor service, so at least we’ll have somewhere to debate the idea in person.
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