Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Covid-status certificate could be 'unlawful indirect discrimination', says watchdog

Covid-status certificate could be 'unlawful indirect discrimination', says watchdog

THE independent equalities watchdog in the UK has said that the Covid-status certificate scheme could lead to unlawful indirect discrimination.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has told the Cabinet Office that such documents could create a ‘two-tier society’, reported The Guardian. 


Ministers are considering to introduce a Covid-status certificate as passports to certain events later this year, reports said.

According to the EHRC, employers should not be allowed to hire workers on a 'no jab, no job' policy until all young people had been offered a vaccine.

It added that plans to make vaccine mandatory for care workers helping older people may not be lawful.

The watchdog said that implementation of Covid-status certificates may exclude groups from access to essential services and employment, including migrants, those from minority ethnic backgrounds and poorer socio-economic groups.

The warnings emerged as the health secretary, Matt Hancock, gave the clearest indication yet that care workers would be required to have a vaccination or be refused deployment in care homes.

The government said the initiative could later be extended to the wider health and social care workforce.

According to Hancock, only around half of care homes in England had enough people vaccinated. Government scientific advisers believe 80 per cent of staff and 90 per cent of residents need to be vaccinated to provide a minimum level of protection against outbreaks of the virus.

The Guardian reported that Johnson may face a significant Tory rebellion if he pushes ahead with introducing the certificates and calls for a vote in parliament, with 41 Conservative backbenchers vowing to oppose them.

Labour has previously vowed to vote against “vaccine passports” but has been less clear about its stance on a wider certificate scheme used to show someone’s vaccine, test or antibody status. It says it is still waiting for the government to formally present a firm proposal.

“We share the EHRC’s concerns and hope the government will take note," Marsha de Cordova, the shadow women and equalities secretary, told The Guardian. 

Responding to the government’s call for evidence on Covid-status certificates, the EHRC said that if they were introduced, it should only be for a limited time and subject to regular review, along with 'strict parliamentary scrutiny'.

The government wants to make vaccination of carers part of the “fundamental standard” of providing safe care, enshrined in the Social Care Act. Care homes which fail to show their staff are vaccinated could, in the most serious cases, have their registration to operate cancelled.

Unison, a trade union representing health workers, described the plan as “the wrong approach” and called for persuasion – rather than coercion – of care workers, many of whom have cited fears, albeit so far unfounded, that the vaccine could affect pregnancies.

A government spokesperson told The Guardian: “Covid-status certification could have an important role to play both domestically and internationally, as a temporary measure. We are fully considering equality and ethical concerns as part of our ongoing review.”

More For You

Visa UK

Since April 2024, British citizens and settled residents have needed to earn at least £29,000 to apply for a partner visa. (Representational image: iStock)

Getty Images

Migration committee advises lower income threshold for UK family visas

THE UK’s independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has said the government could lower the minimum income requirement for family visas but warned that doing so would likely increase net migration by around 1 to 3 per cent.

Since April 2024, British citizens and settled residents have needed to earn at least £29,000 to apply for a partner visa.

Keep ReadingShow less
Legendary Novelist Frederick Forsyth Passes Away at 86

Forsyth’s reporting took him to politically volatile regions

Getty Images

Frederick Forsyth, master of the thriller genre, dies aged 86

Frederick Forsyth, the internationally renowned author of The Day of the Jackal, has passed away at the age of 86. His agent, Jonathan Lloyd, confirmed the news, describing Forsyth as one of the world’s greatest thriller writers.

With a career spanning more than five decades, Forsyth penned over 25 books, selling 75 million copies worldwide. His work, including The Odessa File and The Dogs of War, set the standard for espionage and political thrillers. Bill Scott-Kerr, his publisher, praised Forsyth’s influence, stating that his novels continue to define the genre and inspire modern writers.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK business district

The Canary Wharf business district including global financial institutions in London.

Getty Images

UK unemployment rises to 4.6 per cent, highest since 2021

THE UK’s unemployment rate has increased to its highest level since July 2021, according to official data released on Tuesday, following the impact of a business tax rise and the introduction of US tariffs.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the unemployment rate rose to 4.6 per cent in the three months to the end of April. This was up from 4.5 per cent in the first quarter of the year.

Keep ReadingShow less
Austria school shooting

Policemen are seen on a street close to a school where 10 people died in a school shooting, including the attacker.

Getty Images

10 killed in Austria school shooting, including suspected gunman

TEN people were killed on Tuesday after a suspected shooter opened fire in a school in Graz, southeastern Austria, according to the city’s mayor.

Mayor Elke Kahr told Austrian press agency APA that the victims included several students, at least one adult, and the suspected shooter.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer-Getty

Keir Starmer had indicated last month that he would reverse the cuts. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Government restores winter fuel benefit to 9 million pensioners after backlash

THE GOVERNMENT will reinstate winter fuel payments to millions of pensioners this year, reversing an earlier decision that had removed the benefit for most recipients in England and Wales. The move comes after months of criticism and political pressure on prime minister Keir Starmer.

After taking office in July, Starmer's Labour government had removed the winter fuel payments for all but the poorest pensioners as part of broader spending cuts.

Keep ReadingShow less