Losing support for Sturgeon’s passport app

The launch of Scotland’s misfiring vaccination passport app has been predictably shambolic.

The sof tware became avai lable on Thursday evening before crashing within hours.

Even when it is available to download, there have been reports of people unable to enter information or register properly.

It has also emerged that anyone without a passport or driver’s licence – an estimated 300,000 people in Scotland – will not be able to use it.

Leading advocate Roddy Dunlop QC was moved to describe it as the worst app he has ever tried to use.

Despite this, Scotland’s footbal l ing authorities have decided to press on and demand that fans show proof of vaccination at Saturday’s crunch World Cup match against Israel at Hampden.

The already fragile hopes and dreams of 50,000 supporters wi l l now rest on this piece of technology being sorted out in time.

It beggars belief that the Scottish Government have failed to get their act together and deliver the already hugely controversial device in a professional manner.

The UK Government ditched its plans for vaccination passports in England because ministers were not convinced introducing them would make a difference in the fight against Covid-19.

They came to the conclusion it would simply be another layer of hassle for businesses desperately trying to get back on their feet. There are also legitimate serious concerns over civil liberties.

In Scotland, however, Nicola Sturgeon decided not to follow in the tracks of Boris Johnson’s U-turn.

People want to do the right thing and have placed their trust in the First Minister on this.

If it is genuinely going to save lives then we wi l l put up with the annoyance of having to present personal medical information to nightclub bouncers and football stewards.

But if the government can’t even deliver something that works, the public wi l l legitimately begin to question the entire scheme.