Welsh election 2021: Liberal Democrat leader says vaccine passports must not become ID cards

Jane Dodds, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, has cautioned against the use of vaccine passports

Proposals for Covid vaccine passports must not be allowed to become ID cards by the back door, the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats has said.

Jane Dodds said they could lead to people being denied entry to venues and activities in their local communities.

All four UK governments are considering allowing people who have had both doses of a vaccine to carry a certificate to allow entry to some venues.

The Senedd election will take place on 6 May.

The Liberal Democrats are defending Brecon and Radnorshire, the single seat they won in 2016, with Kirsty Williams - who has served as education minister for the past five years - retiring from the Senedd.

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Ms Dodds is a candidate on the Mid and West Wales regional ticket.

WALES ALERTS: Get extra updates on BBC election coverage

Although controversial, the idea of vaccine passports has support in some sectors, including entertainment and leisure.

"There has to be a place where people can take part in their community, they can go to the pub, they can go into venues without showing ID," Ms Dodds said on BBC Wales' Ask the Leader programme.

"This is potentially a back door to an ID card situation and we don't want that."

'Very uncomfortable place'

Ms Dodds said there was potential for discrimination against age groups who would be waiting the longest for the jab.

She added: "We could be in a place where we're talking to people who have certain medical conditions and saying you can't come in to our venue... your partner can come but you can't, and you need to share that information with us.

"That's going to put people in a very uncomfortable place."

WALES ELECTION: THE BASICS

What's happening? On 6 May, people will vote to elect 60 Members of the Senedd (MSs). The party that can command the support of a majority of MSs will form the Welsh government. Find out more here.

What powers does the Senedd have? MSs pass laws on aspects of life in Wales such as health, education and transport - and have some tax powers.

Ms Dodds said she would not stand aside if the party was wiped out on polling day.

"I will continue as leader, absolutely," she said.

"It's not my job I'm concerned about, it's about the jobs of people who have suffered in the pandemic."

The Liberal party had existed for 150 years, she said, adding: "We're not going anywhere."

Leaders debate: If you would like to be part of the virtual audience for the BBC Wales Election 2021 Leaders Debate on 29 April, please email us your details to [e-mail].

The Liberal Democrats are promising to increase spending on mental health, introduce a £500m fund to boost the high street and spend £1bn tackling climate change.

Asked about the party's stance on the EU, having campaigned to reverse the decision to leave during the 2019 general election campaign, Ms Dodds said the "page has been turned now" and "now is not the time to be talking about re-joining the EU".

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