Hancock on proof of vaccination, variant criticism

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Sunday said that a system of proof of coronavirus vaccination will be developed by the government in order to facilitate international travel but there are no plans to use it domestically.

The announcement came following former prime minister Tony Blair's calls for a new pass to allow more freedom for vaccinated individuals.

Hancock said his job was to make sure that if other countries, including the European Union, bring in and demand a vaccination certificate, UK citizens "will be able to travel when it's safe to do so."

As for using the certificates inside the UK, the Health Secretary said that the matter was a responsability of his Cabinet colleague Michael Gove.

Earlier on Sunday Hancock said that the government would analyse the scientific data until the last moment before making a decision on whether to further ease coronavirus restrictions from 21 June.

He also defended the government's decisions on travel restrictions to India and Pakistan.