European citizens in Britain will be charged for ID cards
Alan Travis writes in The Guardian:
A hint that ministers are close to forcing millions of European citizens resident in Britain to sign up for an identity card came when it was announced today that those who register voluntarily are to be charged for the first time.
The Home Office said a £55 fee would be introduced later this year. The immigration minister, Mark Harper, said earlier this month a mandatory ID card scheme was under consideration for Romanians, Bulgarians and other European nationals.
Harper suggested that anybody coming to the UK from Europe for more than three months would have to obtain a European residence cards to access public services, including claiming welfare benefits.
The idea was first raised by Philip Hollobone, the Conservative MP for Kettering, who claimed the Spanish already “interpret the free movement directive much more robustly” by requiring all European Union citizens and family members to register if they want to live there for more than three months. They also require notification of any change in address or marital status.
Harper said earlier this month said that mandatory registration would allow the immigration authorities to check whether people had come to Britain to study, to look for work or were self-sufficient.
