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22/09/2003
Civil liberties group slams 'insane' ID card plan
The civil liberties group, Liberty, has come out strongly against the Home Secretary's proposals to introduce a nationwide ID card, describing the measure as an "insane and suicidal step".
Home Secretary David Blunkett told the Frost programme yesterday that he would favour compulsory ID cards in order, for example, to track the movements of illegal immigrants. During his interview with David Frost, the Home Secretary said that he "hadn't a clue" how many illegal immigrants there were in the country at the moment – adding that an ID card would change that.
The interview has been interpreted by many as a last-ditch attempt by the Home Secretary to get ID card legislation into the Queen's speech, having failed to win the backing of his colleagues in Cabinet.
Liberty's Campaigns Director Mark Littlewood said: "To introduce ID cards now would be an insane and suicidal step for this government to take. The Cabinet needs to rein in the Home Secretary.
"The polling evidence makes plain that millions of British citizens would refuse point blank to carry a card. Criminalising - and potentially even imprisoning - tens of thousands of people is not a smart of way of making friends and influencing people.
He went on to say that spending billions of pounds of taxpayers' money on a scheme "with no proven benefits" would be a "recipe for disaster".
"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," he said.
(gmcg)
Home Secretary David Blunkett told the Frost programme yesterday that he would favour compulsory ID cards in order, for example, to track the movements of illegal immigrants. During his interview with David Frost, the Home Secretary said that he "hadn't a clue" how many illegal immigrants there were in the country at the moment – adding that an ID card would change that.
The interview has been interpreted by many as a last-ditch attempt by the Home Secretary to get ID card legislation into the Queen's speech, having failed to win the backing of his colleagues in Cabinet.
Liberty's Campaigns Director Mark Littlewood said: "To introduce ID cards now would be an insane and suicidal step for this government to take. The Cabinet needs to rein in the Home Secretary.
"The polling evidence makes plain that millions of British citizens would refuse point blank to carry a card. Criminalising - and potentially even imprisoning - tens of thousands of people is not a smart of way of making friends and influencing people.
He went on to say that spending billions of pounds of taxpayers' money on a scheme "with no proven benefits" would be a "recipe for disaster".
"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," he said.
(gmcg)
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30 July 2009
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The image of the ID card for British citizens was officially unveiled by the Home Secretary today in Manchester and London. The ID card, which can also be used as a travel document in Europe, was revealed by the Home Secretary at St Pancras International Station in London and to residents of Greater Manchester at an event in the city centre.
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07 April 2004
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