Government set to abandon ID Cards Bill until after election

NO2ID looks to have achieved its first goal and has defeated the ID Cards Bill after months of public and behind the scenes lobbying.

Phil Booth, NO2ID National Coordinator, said:

"This is a great victory, although the fight goes on. We must continue to apply pressure until the Government abandons its plans altogether."

According to a report in The Independent, an unnamed Government Minister has said that the ID Cards Bill will not be pushed through the House of Lords before the end of Parliament and the General Election.

With only a handful of days, perhaps four or five, available for their Lordships to debate the bill, it was always going to be tight, following the Conservative Party's withdrawal of support for the bill.

The Government can now temporarily back off from a Bill that, if it is debated, looks sure to be torn to pieces by a hostile House of Lords, currently engaged in performing a very public hatchet-job on the Terrorism Bill. The government are not keen to receive two bloody noses in quick succession.

The timing of the election is a problem for the Government, as they risk losing two major pieces of controversial legislation at the eleventh hour, only to have to restart them after the election. But ID card legislation is not going away - having already poured millions of pounds into research and campaigning over several years, the Home Office will not be too concerned with having to wait another few months until after a new government is returned.

This government has made it clear that their agenda includes a succession of highly illiberal, controversial and divisive Bills, to be rammed through Parliament as quickly as possible, and this is not expected to change suddenly after May.

A Home Office statement release to NO2ID said:

"The Government remains fully committed to the Identity Cards programme. We expect the 2nd Reading of the Identity Cards Bill to take place on 21st March."

Although this is a victory in the short term if this ID Cards Bill falls, the pressure, support and perseverance of NO2ID, its members and supporters will be even more vital when faced with a new, empty Parliamentary year, ready to be filled with new ID card legislation.

Search provided by Google


This website is © NO2ID 2012
Our privacy policy

Hosting generously provided by Mythic Beasts
hosting from Mythic Beasts