Harrogate and Knaresborough’s MP Andrew Jones says the idea of vaccine passports is ‘extremely problematic’.

Writing on his website, Mr Jones says there will be people who don’t want a vaccine for religious or cultural reasons or can’t have one for health reasons.

The government’s currently considering whether to introduce them, and cabinet minister Michael Gove is visiting Israel to see how they work there.

In response to those who’ve raised concerns about vaccine passports, Mr Jones said:

“I do understand the points that you and others make and I think vaccine passports are extremely problematic. There will be people who do not want a vaccine for religious or cultural reasons. Some may deride this but it should be a consideration when the government looks at the issue. Others may not be able to have the vaccine because of health conditions; we need to ensure these people can return to a normal life too.  There are still of course millions of people aged 50 and under who have not yet received a jab.

“There may be concerns about large, closely-packed gatherings and foreign travel and these are being looked at by the government (and in fact by governments across the world) but as I said at the outset; I think there are many difficult questions to answer and I will ensure that all the points being put to me are put to Ministers who are looking at this subject.”

Read more local stories from Your Harrogate here