ID cards for the masses
Home Secretary David Blunkett has reiterated his call for compulsory identity cards, despite rumblings of a Cabinet schism on the issue.
Mr Blunkett said Sunday that New Labour had to “change or die” if the party was to secure an historic third term of office.
On the back of the Brent East byelection drubbing on Thursday, Mr Blunkett said the Government faced a “very big challenge” in regaining the trust of British voters.
Critics say part of that challenge is convincing voters that ID cards are workable, enforceable and desirable.
ID cars form part of the Home Office’s crackdown on illegal immigrants.
Mr Blunkett admitting yesterday he had no idea how many illegal asylum seekers were in the UK.
He told BBC1’s Breakfast with Frost: “I haven’t got a clue. The reason we haven’t is, of course, because we don’t have a rigorous and enforceable identification system linked to a register of all those who are in the country.
“That is, of course, what we are debating in Cabinet at the moment. Should we have a register of all those in the country and should we have an identification system that relates to it?”
He wants to see a national ID card scheme, estimated to cost at least 1.5 billion pounds, outlined in the Queen’s Speech on 26 November, though the issue was subject to “vigorous” debate among Cabinet colleagues. The scheme would need some 40m ID cards with a national computer database to regulate and oversee its application.
It is conceivable that Brits would be obliged to splash out 40 pounds a piece to own the controversial “verifiable” ID card.
Having the ID card upon the body always was not under consideration, Mr Blunkett said: “They wouldn’t have to carry it in the street, but they would have to produce it when required.”
Conservative home affairs spokesman Oliver Letwin said illegal immigrants would avoid applying for the ID card.
“What we’ve had from ministers is a confusing set of semi-indications of a half-baked policy and that’s no way to proceed.
“What’s to stop someone from giving a false name if they are stopped by a policeman on the street and not produce their ID card, if they are to be voluntary?”
Mark Littlewood, director of campaign group Liberty, said thousands of ordinary people would be effectively criminalised if they refused to carry the cards.
“Experience from other countries with ID cards show they are costly, unwieldy, unhelpful and a real threat to our civil liberties.
“The Government should take a step back, a long deep breath and put these proposals where they belong – in the dustbin of history.”
