The shadow immigration minister has raised the prospect of a Labor government introducing identity cards to help count how many people are in Britain and reduce illegal immigration.
According to Stephen Kinnock, the party is considering proposals to make it compulsory for everyone to apply for registration. However, the amount of data stored will be limited in an attempt to allay concerns raised during Tony Blair’s premiership two decades ago about the breach of civil liberties.
Labour’s attempt to introduce ID cards 20 years ago was mired in controversy over the cards being linked to state rights, as well as wider objections to civil liberties. Legislation for mandatory ID cards was passed in 2006, but in 2009 the then Home Secretary Alan Johnson hit back and announced that they would not be compulsory for UK citizens. The law was eventually repealed by the Conservative-Liberal coalition in 2010.
In an interview with Times Radio, Kinnock revealed that an ID scheme was being considered “very, very carefully indeed”, adding that it would be “so useful” to reassure the public that “we have control over our borders”.
He suggested that almost every EU member state had some sort of identity scheme and it “couldn’t be beyond human reason” to come up with one for Britain.
Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you through the most popular stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertisements and content funded by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to secure our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
However, on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Kinnock’s more senior Labor colleague Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, was less clear.
Asked if ID cards were seen as a solution to combating unauthorized work in the UK, she said: “No, I think the problem is that there is no proper employment enforcement, which is getting weaker.
“If you have people who are working illegally or are also being exploited, there is no proper employment enforcement, so we will introduce tougher employment enforcement with appropriate standards, as well as tougher action to tackle criminal gangs and put measures in place dealing with the problem.”
The Labor Party has been approached for comment.
Add Comment