Government U-turn has long been on the cards

Published on Thursday 6 March 2008 22:11

LAST November stories started circulating in the media that the government was thinking of putting "on the back-burner" Tony Blair's much-touted scheme for making everyone in Britain carry a compulsory, biometric identity card. The rumoured explanation was that Gordon Brown wanted shot of his predecessor's big idea, because the cost of ID cards was mushrooming, the technology was still inadequate and there were fears the whole notion might be challenged in the courts.

However, no sooner had these press reports appeared, than the government denied them categorically. Peter Hain went on the BBC to say it was "not true" that the scheme was being downgraded, while a senior Home Office minister, Tony McNulty, said: "As far as I am aware, universal ID cards remain on the agenda."

Five months later, and the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, has announced that ID cards are indeed to go on the political back-burner, just as November's "inspired" leaks suggested. ID cards will still be required by non-EU nationals from this year, and by people working in sensitive airport jobs from next year. Otherwise, the whole concept has been significantly watered down.

You will not be forced to buy an expensive ID card at the same time as you renew your ordinary passport, though giving some biometric details for the passport itself will be compulsory from 2011. However, to show that the government still has long-term plans for a universal ID card system, all students will be encouraged to acquire such identity voluntarily from 2010.

What is going on here? Why did the government plan this retreat as far back as November but refuse to admit it? Why is the U-turn being made now, and in such a fatuous and half-hearted manner? Does anyone really imagine Britain's indebted student population is voluntarily going to buy ID cards, at 30 a time? Why would they? The idea is preposterous.

This policy revamp shows all the signs of hesitation and evasion, two words that are increasingly being used in connection with Mr Brown's administration. The government has clearly been frightened by the antipathy of the public to expensive ID cards, particularly in the wake of the various scandals in which Whitehall departments lost millions of sensitive private files. However, Mr Brown seems unwilling to admit error when it comes to security matters. So the project for ID cards remains theoretically government policy, but the implementation has been watered down and delayed for at least a decade.

Biometric passports are a good idea and should be introduced as soon as possible. Effective ID for airport staff is only common sense, and if it does not exist already it should be a matter of urgency. However, the remainder of the confused ideas regarding ID cards is mere political window-dressing and should be given a decent burial until such time as the government has the courage of its convictions.