Revellers using their vaccination status to get into nightclubs will have to show they have had a booster jab as part of future plans, the Health Secretary has said.
MPs are due to vote on Tuesday on the requirement for NHS Covid passes in England, which would come into effect from Wednesday.
Currently, these show a person’s vaccine details or test results.
He said: “From Wednesday – subject to this House’s approval – you’ll need to show a negative lateral flow test to get into nightclubs and large events, with an exemption for the double vaccinated.
“Once all adults have had a reasonable chance to get their booster jab, we intend to change this exemption to require a booster dose.”
He said it is “misleading” to say MPs are being asked to vote on “vaccine passports”.
He told the Commons: “The Government has been absolutely clear about when it talks about access to nightclubs or to very large gatherings … that the requirement is to take a free lateral flow test and make sure it’s negative.
“And if you don’t want to do that then you can prove your vaccine status. It’s up to that individual. That’s not a vaccine passport and the sooner we get rid of this misleading description of what the Government is proposing, the better.”
He added that scientists are “confident” that, with a booster, “we can all bring our level of protection back up”.
