Alistair Darling signals death of ID cards 11


Mary Riddell and James Kirkup write in the Daily Telegraph:

Alistair Darling has cast doubt on the need for ID cards for every Briton.

The Chancellor suggested that biometric passports, which carry the same information as ID cards, would be sufficient.

In an interview in The Daily Telegraph today, he said there was “probably no need” to “go further” than the new passports, paving the way for ID cards to be scrapped. Although he claimed later that he wasn’t going beyond existing plans, his intervention could spell the death knell for the project.


11 thoughts on “Alistair Darling signals death of ID cards

  • andrew

    This story probably isn’t as positive as it seems.

    The real danger from the ID cards project is the database, not the cards themselves, and Home Office mandarins have been trying to ensure the National Identity Register (the database) is inextricably linked with second generation ePassports carrying fingerprints. Until we hear that the Chancellor is cancelling this expensive fingerprint passport programme, we aren’t out of the woods.

    His comments may indeed mean we’ll hear that Labour is cancelling the cards, but will carry on forcing people to enrol on the database when renewing their passports. With 80% of the population renewing passports over the next 10 years, this would be only a partial victory.

  • Stephen

    Phew! Thank God I am an Irish citizen and can get an Irish passport after my British one expires in 2012.

  • Stephen

    Phew! Thank God I am an Irish citizen and can get an Irish passport after my British one expires in 2012.

  • martinb

    Andrew – you’re right to be cautious. However, if the *treasury* is hunting the case, then it’ll go after the most expensive bits, including the NIR (which is also money spent early).

  • martinb

    Andrew – you’re right to be cautious. However, if the *treasury* is hunting the case, then it’ll go after the most expensive bits, including the NIR (which is also money spent early).

  • LeChiffre

    It is very important that the civil service Mandarins get sacked for wasting so much money on the NIR and the NHS spine. The money could have been used for healthcare or education. The waste is ‘criminal’. We need to have an end to the permanent secretary system and go back to the spoils system for senior civil service positions. The senior civil service is a disgrace and deeply anti-democratic. Note the term ‘Mandarin’ which they enjoy so much: from the People’s Republic of China, another bastion of freedom.

  • LeChiffre

    It is very important that the civil service Mandarins get sacked for wasting so much money on the NIR and the NHS spine. The money could have been used for healthcare or education. The waste is ‘criminal’. We need to have an end to the permanent secretary system and go back to the spoils system for senior civil service positions. The senior civil service is a disgrace and deeply anti-democratic. Note the term ‘Mandarin’ which they enjoy so much: from the People’s Republic of China, another bastion of freedom.

  • guy herbert

    “His comments may indeed mean we’ll hear that Labour is cancelling the cards…”

    I doubt they mean even that much. The Telegraph has interpreted his empty comments – repeating Home Office nonsense figures about changes to passports being 70% of the cost – rather optimistically. Mr Brown has had dozens of opportunities to try the strategy you suggest.

    The danger is more that this sell: “scrap ID cards, by all means, but we must keep the _security_ changes to passports” will be used on new Tory ministers (who will be barred from seeing any documents and policy options prepared for the present administration) by the Home Office.

  • guy herbert

    “His comments may indeed mean we’ll hear that Labour is cancelling the cards…”

    I doubt they mean even that much. The Telegraph has interpreted his empty comments – repeating Home Office nonsense figures about changes to passports being 70% of the cost – rather optimistically. Mr Brown has had dozens of opportunities to try the strategy you suggest.

    The danger is more that this sell: “scrap ID cards, by all means, but we must keep the _security_ changes to passports” will be used on new Tory ministers (who will be barred from seeing any documents and policy options prepared for the present administration) by the Home Office.

Comments are closed.