Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi told the Today programme people understood the idea of coronavirus certificates for international travel.

But he said the use of coronavirus certificates domestically "does raise a number of ethical questions".

This is why Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove is reviewing the proposal and has been consulting with parliamentarians and other stakeholders, he said.

Zahawi said certification would be piloted for the FA cup final and semi-final, using testing technology.

"It would be irresponsible not to examine all of these things, because as I say, if another country finds a way of using these things in a really appropriate way you'd be saying why didn't you look at this."

Former chief scientific adviser to the government, Prof Sir Mark Walport, tells BBC Breakfast: "It's clear that we're making good progress along the road map, and it's entirely appropriate that the first set of restrictions are being relaxed, so that makes very good sense indeed.

"But we're a long way from taking the brakes off completely."

He said the situation in France, which currently has more than 39,000 new cases a day, showed the virus was "still very much around".

He said that by June "the numbers are going to be really important here".

However, any further wave of infection was likely to be different from the first, he said.

"It's likely to be different from the first one because we know that the vaccines are very good at keeping people out of hospital and stopping people dying. And that's why it's important to really focus on what the data at the time are actually showing."

Image source, EPA

The first phase of reopening has begun in Denmark, with hairdressers and tattooists back at work and some children’s age groups back at school. Key to the reopening is a negative test and test centres have been very busy in the run-up to reopening. So-called corona passports will also become very important in the coming weeks.

Several European countries are giving their vaccine campaigns a post-Easter boost from this morning. The Stade de France in Paris, known for legendary sporting clashes on the pitch, has opened this morning with the aim of providing 10,000 vaccinations a week. It’s one of more than 35 so called vaccinodromes that are aimed at ramping up the vaccine campaign. Latest figures show 9.3 million first doses have already been given in France. But hospital cases are still rising.

Germany’s network of 35,000 family doctors is getting involved too this week. So far the country's vaccination campaign has been limited to 430 special centres. Meanwhile, the south-western state of Saarland is beginning its exit from lockdown even though cases are still rising. Outdoor gatherings and outdoor café visits are allowed as well as contact sports with a negative test.

Italy is also aiming to speed up its vaccination campaign, with more than eight million vaccine doses expected to arrive this month alone. Prime Minister Mario Draghi has set an eventual target of half a million vaccinations a day.

Portugal's president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, last night hailed the second phase of lockdown easing as a "historic day". All but the largest on-street shops were allowed to open along with cafés and restaurants serving customers outside.

Spain’s health minister says 11 or 12 regions are seeing a clear upward trend in infection, particularly Catalonia and Navarre in the north and Ceuta on the African mainland. This month is seen as key to pushing the vaccine campaign and retired doctors and nurses are being enlisted in many areas to take part.

Image source, Getty Images

The Moderna vaccine will be in deployment in the UK "around the third week of April", vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi has confirmed.

Zahawi also told BBC Breakfast there would be "more volume" of the jab in May.

"And of course more volume of Pfizer and Oxford-AstraZeneca and we have got other vaccines.

"We have got the Janssen [Johnson and Johnson] vaccine coming through as well.

"So I am confident that we will be able to meet our target of mid-April, offering the vaccine to all over-50s, and then end of July offering the vaccine to all adults."

The Moderna jab became the third vaccine to be approved in the UK in January.

The UK has pre-ordered 17 million doses of the vaccine.

MPs will be given the chance to vote on Covid passports if the government proposes introducing any certification, vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi has said.

Asked if MPs would get a vote on the proposals, Zahawi told BBC Radio 4's Today programme "absolutely", adding: "If we come to a decision on this of course it will come to Parliament."

Zahawi reiterated that Covid certificates domestically would not be required on Monday for entering pub gardens - or in the next stage of unlocking in England in May.

He said it was "only right and responsible to look at all options" when it came to domestic Covid certification.

Labour has said the use of so-called vaccine passports in the UK would be "discriminatory".

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth told BBC Breakfast the party was "very sceptical" and wanted more details about how they would work.

"I'm not going to support a policy that, here in my Leicester constituency, if someone wants to go into Next or H&M, they have to produce a vaccination certificate on their phone, on an app.

"I think that's discriminatory."

He said it "makes sense" to ask people to take a test before going to events such as football games.

But asked if he would vote against any form of domestic Covid passport, Ashworth said: "We don't think asking you to produce a vaccination passport, which is this digital ID card, is fair. It's discriminatory."

Image source, Reuters

It would be "remiss" of the government not to consider Covid certification as a way of fully reopening the economy, Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi has said.

Amid some criticism of the idea, Zahawi said: "It's only right that we look at all these options that are available to us to take our lives back."

Speaking on Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the certificates - showing vaccination, test or immunity status - wouldn't be needed while restrictions are eased between now and the middle of May.

But documents issued as part of a review, led by the Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove, say the certificates are likely to be a feature of life until the threat from the pandemic recedes.

Many MPs have criticised the plans, with senior Tory backbencher Mark Harper calling for a vote on the issue.

Zahawi pointed out that the concept of using Covid certificates to allow international travel was distinct from a review of using them within the UK.

"But I think it would be remiss and irresponsible for us to not look at all these things," he told BBC Breakfast.

Image source, PA Media

Good morning and welcome to our coronavirus live page.

Here’s a round-up of the main stories this morning.

• Businesses in England are gearing up for the next stage of unlocking, after the PM confirmed non-essential retail could reopen and restaurants would be allowed to serve outdoors from 12 April
• There has been criticism over plans for Covid passports in England, amid fears they could create a "two-tier" society. Government documents released on Monday said such certificates - that prove if someone has had a vaccine, has tested negative or has immunity - were likely to become "a feature of our lives"
• The family of Captain Sir Tom Moore have encouraged people to take on their own "100" challenge on what would have been his 101st birthday weekend. The Army veteran, who raised almost £33m for NHS charities by walking 100 laps of his Bedfordshire garden before he turned 100, died on 2 February
• Unions have criticised a 50p-per-week increase in statutory sick pay as "miserly". TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said "no-one should be plunged into hardship if they need to self-isolate"
• Australian and New Zealand residents will be able to travel between the two nations without having to quarantine from 19 April. Since October, New Zealand travellers have been allowed to enter most Australian states without quarantine, though this had not been reciprocated
• North Korea has announced it will not take part in the Tokyo Olympics this year, saying the decision is to protect its athletes from Covid-19. The decision puts an end to South Korea's hopes of using the Games to engage with the North amid stalled cross-border talks