Outlaw discrimination against those who do not get a Covid-19 vaccination
The Parliament petitions site records 347,512 signatures for this petition, which closed on 24 August 2021. The Government responded on 29 April 2021. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 20 September 2021.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Outlaw discrimination against those who do not get a Covid-19 vaccination
The individual must remain sovereign over their own body, discrimination against those who cannot or will not be vaccinated against COVID is incompatible with a free democracy. The Government must take firm action to prevent 'vaccination passports' and discriminatory 'no jab, no job' policies.
The Government must specifically outlaw discrimination based on vaccine status, this includes access to private businesses, jobs and public life. No individual should ever feel coerced into having a vaccine.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 29 April 2021; the petitions site lists the Cabinet Office as responsible. Its summary:
The Government believes that COVID-status certification could have a role to play in the reopening of society. We are considering carefully the equality and ethical concerns in an ongoing review.
The response in full:
The Government has committed to explore whether and how COVID status certification might be used to reopen our economy, reduce restrictions on social contact and improve safety.
As part of this, the Government is conducting a COVID-Status Certification Review. This has so far gathered evidence from clinical and ethical experts, as well as businesses and their representative organisations. In addition, the public call for evidence has generated over 50,000 responses, representing a wide range of opinions.
The Roadmap Reviews Update, published on 5 April 2021, provided an update on the COVID-Status Certification Review. This publication can be sourced here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021-reviews-terms-of-reference/roadmap-reviews-update
The Government believes that COVID-status certification could have an important role to play both domestically and internationally, as a temporary measure. Equally, the Government wants to be sure that the benefits of any such approach are fully interrogated in public debate and that the deliverability of COVID-status certification is rigorously tested. The Government also wants to analyse the potential economic impacts that COVID-status certification would have across different settings. We will continue to gather evidence on the extent to which COVID-status certification is an effective measure to control the pandemic, reducing hospitalisations and deaths.
The Government believes that there are some settings (such as essential public services, public transport and essential shops) where COVID-status certification should never be required, in order to ensure access for all.
It is possible that COVID-status certification could also play a role in reducing social distancing requirements in other settings which people tend to visit more frequently (for example, in hospitality settings). However, the Government recognises this has significant implications for businesses and their customers, This will be further considered in consultation with industry, as part of the review of social distancing rules, and taking into account the equalities and other impacts. For now, businesses should continue to plan to reopen in a way that follows the latest COVID-secure guidance, and certification will not be required for reopening as part of step 2 or step 3.
In addition to the Roadmap Reviews Update, the Government has presented an interim update to Parliament (29 April). The Government will set out its conclusions ahead of Step 4.
Cabinet Office
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 1,027, came from Epping Forest.
344,995 of the signatures were from the UK and 2,517 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Epping Forest | 1,027 |
| Knowsley | 988 |
| Isle of Wight | 977 |
| Bournemouth East | 949 |
| Broxbourne | 917 |
| Hornchurch and Upminster | 916 |
| Thurrock | 898 |
| Bournemouth West | 893 |
| Hastings and Rye | 891 |
| Harlow | 888 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| South East | 48,338 |
| London | 44,826 |
| North West | 42,955 |
| East of England | 35,513 |
| South West | 29,481 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 28,150 |
| West Midlands | 28,021 |
| East Midlands | 24,698 |
| Scotland | 17,403 |
| North East | 13,206 |
| Wales | 12,403 |
| Northern Ireland | 7,813 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 20 September 2021. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/575801.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
67852cd976276103… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.