Tories ambush Blair on identity cards
George Jones writing in The Telegraph reports on Tory and LidDem plans to amend the Identity Cards Bill in the Lords:
Tory and Liberal Democrat peers are preparing a New Year ambush for Tony Blair’s flagship identity card scheme that could seriously undermine the legislation.
They are confident of watering down the Government’s plans by making it voluntary rather than effectively compulsory to register on a new national database, which will include biometric data such as iris scans, facial images and fingerprints.
Peers are expected to back an amendment to the Identity Cards Bill that would allow people to apply for a passport without having to submit their details for the ID cards database.
Labour’s majority was halved when a similar move was made in the Commons in October.
If the Lords send the Bill back to MPs with the safeguard inserted the Government may find it hard to persuade its backbenchers to delete it, as concern is growing at Westminster over the soaring costs of ID cards and implications for civil liberties.
