A Government minister today confirmed that ID cards will not, after all, be part of the imminent package of anti-terrorism measures.

Speaking at a special Liberty/Charter88 fringe meeting at the Labour Party conference this afternoon conference, Home Office minister Lord Rooker stated that the Government:
- will not make it a criminal offence not to carry an identity card
- will not give the police a stop power to demand the card
- will not after all include ID card measures in the planned emergency legislation set to emerge in the next few weeks

This apparent change of track clearly implies a Government acknowledgement that the ID card proposals floated over the last two weeks have nothing whatsoever to do with tackling terrorism, as was originally claimed. But is also appears that the Home Office will continue to develop some form of ID card proposal.

Chris Lawrence-Pietroni, deputy director of Charter88, said after the meeting: "I welcome the fact that Jeff Rooker has confirmed the government has no plans to give the police powers to ask the public to produce ID cards on request, and in any event legislation for ID cards will not be brought forward until there has been a chance for full consultation and public debate. However, these concessions will be in no way sufficient to alleviate the concerns of the broad coalition of opinion that has been mobilised against ID cards".

Mark Littlewood, director of campaigns at Liberty, also welcomed the Government's apparent step back, but cautioned: "the Home Office has made it clear that ID cards in some form or other are still on the agenda - and the extraordinarily diverse coalition that has already assembled must be very vigilant to guard against future Goverent moves in that direction".


Issued by
Roger Bingham
Press and Publications Officer
Liberty
21 Tabard Street
London SE1 4LA
Tel: 020 7378 3656
www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk