Express & Star comment: Vaccine passports divisive

On one hand enabling people to hold documents proving they have had the jab could quicken our way back to normality.

Supporters say that such a scheme would allow businesses to operate safely and potentially be a major force in helping our economy to bounce back.

The other side of the argument points out that forcing people to hold such a document would be unfair, particularly when you consider that some – for a multitude of reasons – do not want the vaccine at all.

Others of course, such as pregnant women, can't have it, while at this point in time roughly half of the population is yet to receive a vaccine.

Boris Johnson is acutely aware of the contentious nature of the argument, and it will be interesting to see what the Government decides to do after the completion of a review into vaccine passports later this year.

Star readers have had their say, with the majority of respondents to our latest lockdown survey giving the idea the 'thumbs up'.

In one sense it shows how desperate we all are to get our freedoms back, with many people considering a vaccine passport a small price to pay if it means being able to go the pub again, or out for a meal.

It is also clear that while most people concede that the Government has got a lot wrong in its response to the pandemic, Mr Johnson is the man who is considered best placed to move us forward.

The Prime Minister has admitted that mistakes have been made, including under-estimating the potential for asymptomatic transmission of the virus.

But Star readers see him as the man, and not Sir Keir Starmer, who can spearhead our recovery.

A year into his Labour leadership and Sir Keir appears to be struggling to make a positive impression on the electorate, particularly in the overwhelmingly blue expanses of the West Midlands.

For Mr Johnson, the decision over vaccine passports will be one of many major tests to come in his premiership.