Blair Urges UK Govt To Use G7 Presidency to Implement ‘Inevitable’ Global Covid-19 Vaccine Passport

By Staff, Agencies

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair called on the government to lead the way in the creation of a global ID that shows Covid-19 vaccine and disease status, arguing that the development of such a passport was inevitable.

Blair’s think tank, the Tony Blair Institute [TBI], said in a newly released report that the United Kingdom should use its position as leader of the G7 to “place the creation of a global Covid-19 travel pass as a key item” on the group’s agenda.

Speaking to the Telegraph, Blair explained that the digital ID could be used to track an individual’s Covid-19 “status.” The passport would use QR codes to access and verify vaccination details as well as coronavirus test results.

While conceding that the new identification could hamper freedom of movement and lead to inequalities among nations and individuals, Blair insisted that the rollout of a global Covid-19 passport was “inevitable” and that the UK should use its role as G7 president to “take the initiative.” Establishing consensus among G7 nations will be a “critical first step” towards worldwide adoption of such identification, he added.

The ex-PM also warned that without a common verification system, travelling will become “much more chaotic and difficult to manage,” adding that a vaccine passport could help lift “a set of rules in place that you may not be that happy with.”