ID cards must be scrapped now, say MPs
Philip Johnston writes in the Daily Telegraph:
The future of Labour’s identity card project was increasingly in doubt yesterday as MPs called for the scheme to be scrapped following the loss of the child benefit records.
Even Labour MPs were questioning how Gordon Brown could proceed with the multi-billion pound scheme.
John McDonnell, MP for Hayes and Harlington, said: “This has demonstrated that the ID card scheme is unworkable. It will be a ghastly, expensive mess. The Government must now drop the whole idea.”
Patrick Wintour and Will Woodward, writing in The Guardian, report:
Ministers are to look at scaling back plans for identity cards in response to the catastrophic loss of the personal information of 25 million people, including their bank records and addresses.
The information commissioner, Richard Thomas, urged ministers yesterday to review the amount of data they intend to amass on the national identity register, and Labour backbenchers previously supportive of ID cards backed his view.
Gordon Brown will come under further pressure from the thinktank Demos, which will shortly publish a report on privacy. It is expected to urge the government to reopen the debate on ID cards before pressing ahead.
