It would be “nonsense” for different Covid-19 tracing apps to be used in different parts of the UK, Former First Minister Lord McConnell has argued today.

In an interview with STV, the 59-year-old called “a bit more unity” in Holyrood and Westminster, as the UK develops a lockdown exit strategy, adding that he was “particularly concerned about these apps.”

It comes as Nicola Sturgeon expressed reluctance to recommend an automatic tracing app currently being trialled on the Isle of Wight.

Lord Jack McConnell of Glenscorrodale has called the idea of using separate tracing apps in parts of the UK "nonsense". (Photo by Helene Wiesenhaan/Getty Images for IMCP)

Mr McConnell, who served as First Minister of Scotland from 2001 to 2007, told interviewers: “As we come out of the period of lockdown, I think there’s a need for a bit more unity - not just in messaging but in the systems that are put in place.”

“Of course these decisions need to be made autonomously in Edinburgh, and Cardiff, and in Belfast, and of course in London, but I do think we should be having, for example, one tracing app across the whole of the UK.”

Yesterday, Scotland’s national clinical director, Professor Jason Leitch, explained that the Scottish government wanted “to be sure of the security of the app, of its use - that it will work - before we layer it on top of what we’re already planning.”

But Mr McConnell insisted that a single app was essential to help trace contacts made by people who travel to work, or meet family, across the English-Scottish border.

“I think it would be nonsense if there were different apps operating in different parts of the UK, so I would strongly recommend that the health secretaries in London and Edinburgh and Cardiff and Belfast need to sit down and make an agreement on this that works for everybody and not go off on their own directions - even though the decisions are autonomous and they have a right to do so,” he finished.

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director

Former First Minister Lord McConnell calls idea of using different tracing app in Scotland ‘nonsense’

Comments