Tory MP tries to claim not letting people without a vaccine into a pub is ‘vaccinationism’

Tory MP Sir Desmond Swayne tried to claim that “discriminating” against people who refuse to be vaccinated is “vaccinationism”.

He told parliament:

“The way to persuade people to have a vaccine is of course to line up the entire government and its ministers and their loved ones and let them take it first and then get all the luvvies, the icons of popular culture, out on the airwaves singing its praises.

"To have any kind of suggestion of coercion absolutely feeds the conspiracy theory that we’re being cowed and our liberty taken away.”

Swayne was then interrupted by fellow Tory MP Steve Baker, who said:

“Will [you] agree with me, it’s not enough for the government merely to refrain from coercing people, the government’s also got to pay attention to implicit coercion. That is, if the government turns a blind eye to allowing businesses like airlines and restaurants to refuse to let people in unless they’ve had the vaccination. The government’s got to decide whether it’s willing to allow people to discriminate on that basis.”

Swayne continued:

“Discrimination? It would be vaccinationism! Which we must, of course, resist. The other thing that any kind of coercion would do would be to set the seal on this government’s reputation as the most authoritarian since the commonwealth of the 1650s.”

Elsewhere he claimed that he had previously told concerned constituents that the idea they’d be subject to compulsory vaccination is “absolutely ridiculous”, but:

“Now we discover that a vaccination may be a passport to the acquisition of your civil liberties.”

Nadhim Zahawi, who has been put in charge of the vaccine rollout, suggested that pubs, restaurants and other businesses might require proof of vaccination before letting people in in future.

Both he and Matt Hancock were keen to stress that vaccination will not be made mandatory.

Michael Gove has also since clarified Zahawi’s comments amid speculation that people could be issued vaccine “passports”, saying “that’s not the plan”.

Swayne’s description of “discriminating” against anti-vaxxers as “vaccinationism” was ridiculed.

Not least because his fears about coercion and mandatory vaccination aren’t borne out by his own government.

Swayne’s attitude throughout the pandemic has been… unique.

Earlier this year, he described face masks as “monstrous” and compared wearing one to being “like Darth Vader”.

MORE: The bizarre ways my smell and taste changed after Covid-19