Striking a blow for freedom! Scots Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie has karate lesson on election trail

The Lib Dems have vowed to fight plans for Covid vaccine passports, but Scots leader Willie Rennie may have been taking his preparation a bit too seriously.

Ahead of the May 6 election to the Scottish Parliament he practiced his high kicks –  and hopefully no low blows – during an open-air karate lesson in Edinburgh today.

In glorious sunshine in the Scottish capital he was put through his paces in an ‘invigorating’ session with sensei Robert Steggles – who has represented Scotland competitively.

It came as he called for any rollout of vaccine passports in Scotland to allow venues to open safely from lockdown should not go ahead until  it has been properly debated at Holyrood.

The Scottish Government is working on a digital system which would allow people to prove their Covid vaccination status and provide other data, in preparation for an international requirement.

In glorious sunshine in the Scottish capital he was put through his paces in an ‘invigorating’ session with sensei Robert Steggles – who has represented Scotland competitively

Ahead of the May 6 election to the Scottish Parliament he practiced his high kicks and hopefully no low blows during an open-air karate lesson in Edinburgh.

It came as he called for any rollout of vaccine passports in Scotland to allow venues to open safely from lockdown should not go ahead until it has been properly debated at Holyrood

Speaking to the PA news agency on Friday, Mr Rennie said: ‘I think the plan should be delayed at least until we get a chance to debate it properly in the Parliament, to explore how far this is going to go.

‘I think it’s going to be an expensive administrative process and it’s also going to divide society.

‘Lots of people have made huge sacrifices over the last year but they’ve also not had the vaccine, so why should they be left out of accessing wider services?

‘So let’s call a halt to this just now until we can have a wider debate in Parliament.’

Earlier, national clinical director Professor Jason Leitch said discussions on a potential certification system are ongoing.

The digital system currently being developed would allow people to show if they have been vaccinated, recently had a negative test, or have natural immunity after a previous Covid infection.

Prof Leitch told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland radio programme: ‘We’re also working on a digital solution to ‘Who’s been tested, who’s been vaccinated?’

‘But the more important question is what does that mean, and that’s not really for clinical advisers, that’s really for policy leaders and politicians – about what it will allow you to do.

‘And the private sector, the airlines and others who will make choices about who they allow on the plans or who they allow into their institutions.’