Boris Johnson 'dead set' on avoiding further lockdowns as he prepares to unveil winter covid plan

Boris Johnson is “dead set” on avoiding further lockdown, reports have suggested, as the Prime Minister prepares to set out his winter Covid-19 plan.

He is expected to deliver a press conference on Tuesday to underline how vaccinations will play a key central part of the government’s response to coronavirus in the months to come.

With a number of Covid-19 measures set to be loosened, the prime minister will tell MPs and the country that “we need to learn to live with Covid”, reports The Daily Telegraph.

Government data up to September 11 shows that of the 92,414,463 Covid jabs given in the UK, 48,422,588 were first doses, a rise of 27,229 on the previous day. Some 43,991,875 were second doses, an increase of 96,435.

The UK’s chief medical officers are also drawing up advice to Government on whether children aged 12 to 15 should be vaccinated after the JCVI said the margin of benefit from vaccinating healthy children was too small to say they should receive a jab.

On Sunday, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said that vaccine passports would not be one of the tools in the “whole toolbox” the government has to help combat covid.

In the latest of the Government’s coronavirus U-turns, Mr Javid announced plans to introduce vaccine passports in England for nightclubs and other crowded venues had been scrapped.

The Telegraph also reported that the traffic travel light system would be scrapped, the red list of countries would be reduced, and that PCR tests would not be needed for double vaccinated travellers.

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said the rapid change showed that “the Government’s approach to Covid passports has been shambolic from the start”.

Vaccine passports had caused growing disquiet among Tory ranks, as well as facing opposition from opposition parties and industry figures.

The decision means Covid measures in England again deviate from those in Scotland, where a motion on their introduction was passed in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday, while a decision is expected in Wales next week.

Stormont ministers have yet to reach an official position on using vaccine access passports within Northern Ireland.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Sunday that a “very targeted and limited system of vaccine certification… can help us reduce transmission in some higher-risk settings”.