The Identity Cards Act 2006 (c. 15) was an
Act of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprem ...
that was repealed in 2011. It created national identity cards, a personal identification document and
European Economic Area travel document, linked to a
database
In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases ...
known as the National Identity Register (NIR), which has since been destroyed.
The introduction of the scheme by the
Labour Party government was much debated, and various
concerns about the scheme were expressed by human rights lawyers, activists, security professionals and IT experts, as well as politicians. Many of the concerns focused on the databases underlying the identity cards rather than the cards themselves. The Act specified fifty categories of information that the National Identity Register could hold on each citizen, including up to 10 fingerprints, digitised facial scan and iris scan, current and past British and overseas places of residence of all
residents of the UK throughout their lives and indexes to other Government databases (including National Insurance Number) – which would allow them to be connected. The legislation on this
resident register also said that any further information could be added.
The legislation further said that those renewing or applying for
passports must be entered on to the NIR. It was expected that this would happen soon after the
Identity and Passport Service
His Majesty's Passport Office (HMPO) is an agency of the Home Office in the United Kingdom. It provides passports for British nationals worldwide and was formed on 1 April 2006 as the Identity and Passport Service before being renamed HM Passp ...
(IPS), which was formerly the UK Passport Service, started interviewing passport applicants to verify their identity.
The
Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition formed after the
2010 general election announced that
the ID card scheme would be scrapped.
[Conservative Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement](_blank)
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
, Published 12 May 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2010[Conservative Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement](_blank)
, Liberal Democrats, Published 12 May 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2010 The Identity Cards Act was repealed by the
Identity Documents Act 2010
The Identity Documents Act 2010 (c. 40) is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom which reverses the introduction of identity cards, and requires the destruction of the information held on the National Identity Register.
As a bill, it was pr ...
on 21 January 2011, and the cards were invalidated with no refunds to purchasers. Foreign nationals from outside the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
, however, continue to require an ID card for use as a
biometric
Biometrics are body measurements and calculations related to human characteristics. Biometric authentication (or realistic authentication) is used in computer science as a form of identification and access control. It is also used to identify in ...
residence permit under the provisions of the
UK Borders Act 2007
The UK Borders Act 2007 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom about immigration and asylum. Amongst other things, it introduced compulsory biometric residence permits for non-EU immigrants and introduced greater powers for immigratio ...
and the
Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009
The Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 (c. 11) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the Brit ...
.
Only workers in certain high-security professions, such as airport workers, were required to have an identity card in 2009, and this general lack of compulsory ID remains the case today. Therefore,
driving licence
A driver's license is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a publi ...
s, particularly the photocard driving licence introduced in 1998, along with
passport
A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...
s, are now the most widely used ID documents in the United Kingdom. Nobody in the UK is required to carry any form of ID. In everyday situations most authorities, such as the police, do not make spot checks of identification for individuals, although they may do so in instances of
arrest
An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be questi ...
. Some banks will accept a
provisional driving licence only from young people, the upper age limit for which varies from bank to bank, while others will accept it from all ages.
Development
Reasons given for the need for introduction
Initial attempts to introduce a voluntary identity card were made under the
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
government of
John Major
Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament (MP) for Huntingdon, formerly Hunting ...
, under then-Home Secretary
Michael Howard
Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne (born Michael Hecht; 7 July 1941) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005. He previously held cabinet posit ...
. At the
Labour Party conference in 1995,
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of t ...
demanded that "instead of wasting hundreds of millions of pounds on compulsory ID cards as the Tory Right demand, let that money provide thousands more police officers on the beat in our local communities." It was included in the Conservative election manifesto for the 1997 general election, in which Labour returned to office.
A proposal for ID cards, to be called "entitlement cards", was initially revived by the
Home Secretary
The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all nationa ...
at the time,
David Blunkett, following the
terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, but was reportedly opposed by
Cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filin ...
colleagues. However, rising concerns about identity theft and the misuse of public services led to a proposal in February 2002 for the introduction of entitlement cards to be used to obtain
social security
Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...
services, and a consultation paper, ''Entitlement Cards and Identity Fraud'', was published by the Home Office on 3 July 2002. A public consultation process followed, which resulted in a majority of submissions by organisations being in favour of a scheme to verify a person's identity accurately. However, it was clear that the ability to properly identify a person to their true identity was central to the proposal's operation, with wider implications for operations against crime and terrorism.
In 2003, Blunkett announced that the Government intended to introduce a "British national
identity card" linked to a national identity database, the
National Identity Register. The proposals were included in the November 2003 Queen's Speech, despite doubts over the ability of the scheme to prevent
terrorism
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
. Feedback from the consultation exercise indicated that the term "entitlement card" was superficially softer and warmer, but less familiar and "weaselly", and consequently the euphemism was dropped in favour of "identity card".
During a private seminar for the
Fabian Society
The Fabian Society is a British socialist organisation whose purpose is to advance the principles of social democracy and democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist effort in democracies, rather than by revolutionary overthrow. T ...
in August 2005,
Tony McNulty, the minister in charge of the scheme, stated "perhaps in the past the government, in its enthusiasm, oversold the advantages of identity cards", and that they "did suggest, or at least implied, that they might well be a panacea for identity fraud, for benefit fraud, terrorism, entitlement and access to public services". He suggested that they should be seen as "a
gold standard
A gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. The gold standard was the basis for the international monetary system from the 1870s to the early 1920s, and from th ...
in proving your identity". Documentation released by the Home Office demonstrated analysis conducted with the private and public sector showed the benefits of the proposed identity card scheme could be quantified at £650m to £1.1bn a year, with a number of other, less quantifiable, strategic benefits — such as disrupting the activities of organised crime and terrorist groups.
Legislative progress
The Identity Cards Bill was included in the
Queen's Speech
A speech from the throne, or throne speech, is an event in certain monarchies in which the reigning sovereign, or a representative thereof, reads a prepared speech to members of the nation's legislature when a session is opened, outlining t ...
on 23 November 2004, and introduced to the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
on 29 November.
It was first voted on by
Members of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
following the
second reading
A reading of a bill is a stage of debate on the bill held by a general body of a legislature.
In the Westminster system, developed in the United Kingdom, there are generally three readings of a bill as it passes through the stages of becoming ...
of the bill on 20 December 2004, where it passed by 385 votes to 93. The bill was opposed by 19
Labour MPs, 10
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
MPs, and the
Liberal Democrats, while a number of Labour and Conservative members abstained, in defiance of party policies. A separate vote on a proposal to reject the Bill was defeated by 306 votes to 93.
Charles Clarke
Charles Rodway Clarke (born 21 September 1950) is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Norwich South from 1997 until 2010, and served as Home Secretary from December 2004 until May 2006.
Early life
T ...
, the new Home Secretary, had earlier rejected calls to postpone the reading of the Bill following his recent appointment.
The
third reading of the bill in the Commons was approved on 11 February 2005 by 224 votes to 64; a majority of 160. Although being in favour in principle, the Conservatives officially abstained, but 11 of their MPs joined 19 Labour MPs in voting against the Government. The Bill then passed to the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...
, but there was insufficient time to debate the matter, and Labour were unable to do a deal with the Conservatives in the short time available in the days before Parliament was dissolved on 11 April, following the announcement of the
2005 general election.
Labour's
manifesto
A manifesto is a published declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government. A manifesto usually accepts a previously published opinion or public consensus or promotes a ...
for the 2005 general election stated that, if returned to power, they would "introduce ID cards, including biometric data like fingerprints, backed up by a national register and rolling out initially on a voluntary basis as people renew their passports". In public speeches and on the campaign trail, Labour made clear that they would bring the same Bill back to Parliament. In contrast, the Liberal Democrat manifesto opposed the idea because, they claimed, ID cards "don’t work", while the Conservatives made no mention of the issue.
After the 2005 election
Following their 2005 general election victory, the Labour Government introduced a new Identity Cards Bill, substantially the same as the previous Bill, into the Commons on 25 May. The Conservatives joined the Liberal Democrats in opposing the Bill, saying that it did not pass their "five tests". These tests included confidence that the scheme could be made to work, and its impact on civil liberties. In December 2005, the Conservative Party elected a new leader, future Prime Minister
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
, who opposed ID cards in principle.
The second reading of the Bill on 28 June was passed, 314 votes to 283, a majority of 31.
At its third reading in the Commons on 18 October, the majority in favour fell to 25, with 309 votes in favour to 284 against. In the report stage between the readings, the Bill was amended to prevent the National Identity Register database being linked to the
Police National Computer.
In early 2006, the Bill was passed through the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...
committee stage, where 279 amendments were considered. One outcome of this was a vote demanding that the Government instruct the
National Audit Office to provide a full costing of the scheme over its first ten years, and another demanding that a "secure and reliable method" of recording and storing the data should be found. A third defeat limited the potential for ID cards to be required before people could access public services. On 23 January, the House of Lords defeated the government by backing a fully voluntary scheme.
The committee stage ended on 30 January, and the third reading of the Bill took place on 6 February, after which it returned to the Commons. There, on 18 February, the legislation was carried by a majority of 25, with 25 Labour MPs joining those opposing it. Following the defeats in the House of Lords, the government changed the Bill in order to require separate legislation to make the cards compulsory; however, an amendment to make it possible to apply for a biometric passport without having to register on the National Identity Register database was defeated, overturning the Lords' changes to make the Bill fully voluntary. The Lords' amendment requiring a National Audit Office report was rejected.
The Bill returned to the Lords on 6 March, where the Commons amendments were reversed by a majority of 61. The defeat came despite ministers warning that the Lords should follow the
Salisbury Convention
The Salisbury Convention (officially called the Salisbury Doctrine, the Salisbury-Addison Convention or the Salisbury/Addison Convention) is a constitutional convention in the United Kingdom under which the House of Lords will not oppose the s ...
by refraining from blocking a manifesto commitment. Both Conservatives and Liberal Democrats stated generally in 2005 that they no longer felt bound to abide by the convention, while in this specific case several Lords stated that it would not apply as the manifesto commitment was for implementation on a "voluntary basis" as passports are renewed, rather than being compulsory as passports are renewed.
Subsequent votes:
*13 March: House of Commons — majority of 33 for Government (310 to 277)
*15 March: House of Lords — majority of 35 against Government (218 to 183)
*16 March: House of Commons — majority of 51 for Government (292 to 241)
*20 March: House of Lords — majority of 36 against Government (211 to 175)
*21 March: House of Commons — majority of 43 for Government (284 to 241)
On 29 March, the House of Lords voted in favour of a new plan with a majority of 227 (287 to 60). Under this scheme, everyone renewing a passport from 2008 would be issued an ID card and have their details placed on the national ID card database. The Government said that until 2010, people could choose not to be issued a card, though they would still have to pay for one, and still be placed on the database.
The Bill received
Royal assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in oth ...
on 30 March 2006.
Timescale and implementation progress
On 11 October 2006, the Labour government announced a timescale described as "highly ambitious" by computer experts.
The
Home Office announced that it would publish an ID management action plan in the months from November 2006, followed by agreements with departments on their uses for the system. There was to be a report on potential private sector uses for the scheme before 2007 Budget.
On 25 September 2006, Home Office Minister Liam Byrne said that "There are opportunities which give me optimism to think that actually there is a way of exploiting systems already in place in a way which brings down the costs quite substantially".
Emails leaked in June 2006 indicated that the plan was already in difficulty, with plans for the early introduction of a limited register and ID card with reduced biometrics known as the "early variant" described as a "huge risk".
Due to the costs of developing a new system from scratch, in 2007, the Government approved an alternative plan to use the
Department for Work and Pensions
, type = Department
, seal =
, logo = Department for Work and Pensions logo.svg
, logo_width = 166px
, formed =
, preceding1 =
, jurisdiction = Government of the United Kingdom
, headquarters = Caxton House7th Floor6–12 Tothill Stree ...
Customer Information System to store the biographical information, linked to a new database to store biometrics, despite concerns over issues of inter-departmental governance, funding and accountability which were never resolved.
The schedule for putting passport applicants' and renewers' details on the National Identity Register (NIR) was never announced. A nationwide network of 68 interview offices for first-time passport applicants started opening in June 2007 and is now complete. The interview consisted mainly of asking applicants to confirm facts about themselves, which someone attempting to steal their identity may not know. The government has stated that all personal information used in the interview not required for the application was destroyed shortly after the passport was issued. Fingerprints were not taken. Plans to take iris scans were dropped, although the Government had not ruled them out as a future option.
In March 2008, the
Home Secretary
The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all nationa ...
announced that people could choose to have an identity card, a passport, or both when they become available (although they could not opt out of having their details recorded on the NIR). On 25 November 2008, people making applications to remain in the United Kingdom as a student or based on marriage were required to have an identity card. Under those plans, it was estimated that by the end of 2014–15; about 90% of all foreign nationals would have been issued with one. On 22 January 2008, the Home Office confirmed that large volumes of cards would not be issued until 2012; however, ID cards were issued to workers in critical locations, starting with
airside
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...
workers in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
and
London City airports in 2009, and young people were being offered cards in 2010.
A leaked document, published on 29 January 2008, suggested that "universal compulsion should not be used unless absolutely necessary... due the need for inevitably controversial and time-consuming primary legislation" but that "various forms of coercion, such as designation of the application process for identity documents issued by British ministers (e.g. passports) were an option to stimulate applications in a manageable way".
In January 2008, the ''
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...
'' reported that
Accenture
Accenture plc is an Irish-American professional services company based in Dublin, specializing in information technology (IT) services and consulting. A ''Fortune'' Global 500 company, it reported revenues of $61.6 billion in 2022. Accentu ...
and
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, England. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe, and ranked the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenue ...
had withdrawn from the procurement process.
Fujitsu Services,
CSC,
EDS,
IBM,
Steria
Sopra Steria is a Paris-based consulting, digital services, and software development company. Sopra Steria has a new consulting wing under the “Next” brand. It employs 3,400 consultants across Europe, including 1,900 in the group’s native ...
and
Thales Group
Thales Group () is a French multinational company that designs, develops and manufactures electrical systems as well as devices and equipment for the aerospace, defence, transportation and security sectors. The company is headquartered in Pari ...
were still negotiating framework agreements with the government.
[Companies abandon ID card project](_blank)
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...
, 23 January 2008
On 1 August 2008, it was confirmed that Thales Group was awarded a four-year contract to work on the design, building, testing and operation of the National Identity Scheme.
On 25 September 2008,
Jacqui Smith
Jacqueline Jill Smith (born 3 November 1962) is a British broadcaster, political commentator and former Labour Party politician. She was Member of Parliament (MP) for Redditch from 1997 to 2010. She served as Home Secretary from 2007 to 2009 ...
unveiled replicas of the first actual cards to be issued as residence permits to foreign nationals.
The first to receive ID cards were foreign nationals, from 25 November 2008 until the programme's cancellation. National Identity Cards for British nationals became available to people resident in the Greater Manchester area on 30 November 2009. Ordinary British citizens were then meant to be offered (on a voluntary basis at first, but later in larger volumes) ID cards from 2011 to 2012.
A Home Office minister,
Meg Hillier, said that they would be a "convenient" way for young people to prove their age when going to bars and that at £30 they are cheaper than purchasing passports, although the total cost including processing fees was expected to be up to £60,
more expensive than a
passport cost before the introduction of the ID card and database scheme the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats criticised the increase in passport costs as being needed for the ID card scheme. In December 2009, while on a trip to promote identity cards, then-Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Identity
Meg Hillier had to admit she had forgotten hers and was left unable to display one for photographers.
Pilot schemes and partial rollouts
* Non-EU foreign nationals on student or marriage/civil partnership visas (compulsory) – from November 2008 until the programme's cancellation, non-
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
foreign nationals with permission to stay in the UK on the basis of a student visa or a marriage/civil partnership visa would, when applying to extend their stay, be required to apply for an ID card.
* Air industry staff (compulsory) (cancelled) – a pilot scheme involving compulsory IDs for 30,000 air industry staff, planned to start in September 2009 at Manchester and London City airports, was cancelled in June 2009, after substantial opposition from unions.
* Greater Manchester residents (voluntary) – a pilot scheme open to all residents of Greater Manchester, from October 2009; which was expanded to Merseyside, then the rest of the North-West in early 2010. 13,200 people signed up. The ''Manchester Evening News'' revealed in 2010 that senior Whitehall officials were urged to email friends and relatives encouraging them to buy cards, because of fears about the level of demand.
* Air industry staff (voluntary) – a pilot scheme involving free, voluntary ID cards for airside workers, began in November 2009 until the programme's cancellation at Manchester and London City airports.
* Young people opening bank accounts (voluntary) – in 2010, young people would have been encouraged to get ID cards when they opened bank accounts.
[
* London residents (voluntary) – was a planned pilot scheme in 2010 open to all residents of London.][
* Citizens over the age of 16 if registered for IPS newsletter updates (voluntary), begun in 2010
* Citizens over the age of 16 applying for a passport intended in 2011–2012, optional, but applicants' details would have been entered into the National Identity Register][''BBC'', 2 July 2009]
Q&A: Identity cards
/ref>
2010 general election
During the 2010 general election campaign, the published manifestos of the various parties revealed that the Labour Party planned to continue the introduction of the identity card scheme, while all other parties pledged to discontinue plans to issue ID cards. The Conservative Party also explicitly pledged to scrap the National Identity Register, while the wording of several other manifestos implied that this may have been the position of certain other parties too.
Ending of the scheme
In the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition agreement
The Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition agreement (officially known as The Coalition: Our Programme for Government) was a policy document drawn up following the 2010 general election in the United Kingdom. It formed the terms of referen ...
that followed the 2010 general election, the new government announced that they planned to scrap the ID card scheme, including the National Identity Register (as well as the next generation of biometric passports and the ContactPoint database), as part of their measures "to reverse the substantial erosion of civil liberties under the Labour Government and roll back state intrusion."
In a document published in May 2010 at the time of the Queen's Speech
A speech from the throne, or throne speech, is an event in certain monarchies in which the reigning sovereign, or a representative thereof, reads a prepared speech to members of the nation's legislature when a session is opened, outlining t ...
, the new Government announced that the scrapping of the scheme would save approximately £86,000,000 over the following 4 years, and avoid a further £800,000,000 in maintenance costs over the decade which were to have been recovered through fees.[Queen’s Speech – Identity Documents Bill]
, Number10.gov.uk, published 25 May 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2010
On 27 May 2010, the draft Identity Documents Act 2010
The Identity Documents Act 2010 (c. 40) is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom which reverses the introduction of identity cards, and requires the destruction of the information held on the National Identity Register.
As a bill, it was pr ...
was published with the aim of having it passed into law by August 2010. The government missed this target but expected the bill to become law before the new year. The Bill was passed by the House of Commons on 15 September 2010 and received Royal Assent on 21 December 2010. Section 1(1) of the Identity Documents Act repealed the Identity Cards Act 2006 on 21 January 2011 (making all ID cards invalid) and mandated the destruction of all data on the National Identity Register by 21 February 2011.
The register was officially destroyed on Thursday, 10 February 2011, when the final 500 hard drives containing the register were shredded a
RDC
in Witham, Essex.
Home Office Minister Damian Green said: "This marks the final end of the identity card scheme: dead, buried and crushed... What we are destroying today is the last elements of the national identity register, which was always the most objectionable part of the scheme."
A banker from Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
with joint British and Swiss nationality was arguably the last person to officially use the ID card on a flight from Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in ...
to Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
on 21 January 2011, landing 90 minutes before the scheme was officially scrapped at midnight.
Historical and international comparisons
ID cards during the World Wars
Compulsory identity cards were first issued in the United Kingdom during World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, and abandoned in 1919. Cards were re-introduced during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
under the National Registration Act 1939
The National Registration Act 1939 was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. The initial National Registration Bill was introduced to Parliament as an emergency measure at the start of the Second World War.
The Act provided for the estab ...
, but were abandoned seven years after the end of that war, in 1952, amid widespread public resentment. The National Register however, became the National Health Service Register and is maintained to this day.
The World War I identity card scheme was highly unpopular, though accepted in the light of the prevailing national emergency. It is possible to take a small measure of how the national identity scheme was received from remarks by the historian A. J. P. Taylor in his ''English History, 1914–1945'', where he describes the whole thing as an "indignity" and talks of the Home Guard "harassing" people for their cards.
After the Second World War the government of Clement Attlee
Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, (3 January 18838 October 1967) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955. He was Deputy Prime Mini ...
decided to continue the scheme in the face of the Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...
and the perceived Soviet threat, though it grew ever less popular. In the mind of the public it was more and more associated with bureaucratic interference and regulation, reflected, most particularly, in the 1949 comedy film '' Passport to Pimlico''. Identity cards also became the subject of a celebrated civil liberties case in 1950. Harry Willcock
Clarence Harry Willcock (23 January 1896 – 12 December 1952) was a British Liberal activist and the last person in the United Kingdom to be prosecuted for refusing to produce an identity card.
Life
Willcock was born in Alverthorpe, Wakefield ...
, a member of the Liberal Party, refused to produce his after being stopped by the police. During his subsequent trial he argued that identity cards had no place in peacetime, a defence rejected by the magistrate's court. In his subsequent appeal, ''Willcock v Muckle Willcock and similar can mean:
* Alex Willcock, the founder and CEO of Imagini the owner of VisualDNA technology
* Amy Willcock, an American-born British-based cookery book writer, who having specialised in cooking on the AGA cooker
* Chris Willcoc ...
'', the judgment of the lower court was upheld.
Protest reached Parliament, where the Conservative and Liberal peers voiced their anger over what they saw as "Socialist card-indexing". After the defeat of the Labour Government in the general election of October 1951 the incoming Conservative administration of Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
was pledged to get rid of the scheme, "to set the people free", in the words of one minister. Cheers rang out when on 21 February 1952 the Minister for Health, Harry Crookshank
Harry Frederick Comfort Crookshank, 1st Viscount Crookshank, (27 May 1893 – 17 October 1961), was a British Conservative politician. He was Minister of Health between 1951 and 1952 and Leader of the House of Commons between 1951 and 1955. ...
, announced in the House of Commons that national identity cards were to be scrapped. This was a popular move, adopted against the wishes of the police and the security services, though the decision to repeal the 1939 legislation was, in significant part, driven by the need for economies. By 1952 national registration was costing £500,000 per annum () and required 1500 civil servants to administer it.
International comparisons
Identity cards
During the British Presidency of the EU in 2005, a decision was made to "agree common standards for security features and secure issuing procedures for ID cards (December 2005), with detailed standards agreed as soon as possible thereafter. In this respect, the British Presidency has put forward a proposal for EU-wide use of biometrics in national ID cards."
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
started work on a health and social services access card, but the government elected in the 2007 federal election
This electoral calendar 2007 lists the national/federal direct elections held in 2007 in the de jure and de facto sovereign states and their dependent territories. Referendums are included, although they are not elections. By-elections are not ...
cancelled it.
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
has introduced the Electronic identity card, or eID card, from 2004. By 2012, it was compulsory for every citizen in Belgium to hold an e-ID card for identity purposes. A variant exists for children, but that is not compulsory.
Biometrics in identity and travel documents
There has been an international move towards the introduction of biometrics into identity and travel documents. The ICAO
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...
has recommended that all countries adopt biometric passport
A biometric passport (also known as an e-passport or a digital passport) is a traditional passport that has an embedded electronic microprocessor chip which contains biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of the pa ...
s, and the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
has made it a requirement for entering the US under the visa waiver programme. Biometric border control systems have been established in the United States and the United Arab Emirates, and the EU is introducing biometric visas. Internationally, the only requirement for biometric passports is a digital photograph.
System
Legal requirements
Under the NIS, residents who wanted or were required to apply for an ID card would have been required to fulfil certain functions:
*Attend in person to have their fingerprints recorded at one of the Identity & Passport Service's high street partners.
*Promptly inform the police or Identity & Passport Service if a card is lost or damaged, and apply for a new card.
*Promptly inform the Identity & Passport Service of any change of address.
*Promptly inform the Identity & Passport Service of any prescribed change of circumstances affecting the information recorded about them in the Register.
Failure to do so would have meant a penalty of up to £1,000 or a shortened permission to stay.
National Identity Register
Key to the ID Card scheme was a centralised computer database, the National Identity Register (NIR). To identify someone it would not have been necessary to check their card, since identity could be determined by a taking a biometric scan and matching it against a database entry.
ID cards for foreign nationals were produced by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in Swansea on behalf of the Home Office.
Identity Registration Number
One entry on the NIR was the Identity Registration Number. The Home Office had recognised that a unique identifier was needed as a primary key
In the relational model of databases, a primary key is a ''specific choice'' of a ''minimal'' set of attributes ( columns) that uniquely specify a tuple ( row) in a relation ( table). Informally, a primary key is "which attributes identify a recor ...
for the database.
The Home Office's Identity Cards Benefits Overview document described how the IRN would have enabled data sharing amongst police databases (including the Police DNA database), legal databases, and even corporate databases (including bank and travel operators).
Types of cards
Three types of identity cards were issued:
* The ''National Identity Card'', which was lilac and salmon in colour, was issued to British citizens only. It contained the text "British Citizen" and was a valid travel document for entry into any EEA state and Switzerland until its invalidation in 2010.
* The ''Identification Card'' was turquoise and green in colour and did not mention the holder's nationality. It was issued to EU, EEA and Swiss citizens living in the UK (including Irish citizens living in Northern Ireland). It was also issued to certain family members of EU/EEA citizens, to British citizens to whom certain conditions or restrictions apply, and as an additional card to a person living in two gender role
A gender role, also known as a sex role, is a social role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on that person's sex. Gender roles are usually cen ...
s.
* The ''Identity Card for Foreign Nationals'' was blue and pink in colour and was issued to certain categories of immigrants from non-EU/EEA countries.
Use as travel document
Until midnight on 21 January 2011, the National Identity Card was officially recognised as a valid travel document by the EEA and Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, following which the United Kingdom instructed immigration authorities therein to cease accepting it as a valid travel document. It also became accepted voluntarily by a number of other European countries but its current validity in these additional countries remains unclear, given that its acceptance and subsequent denial by these countries was never mandated by the United Kingdom through EU or EEA channels. It was the only travel document valid for use by British nationals throughout the EEA and Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, other than a valid British citizen passport or a pink Gibraltar identity card
The Gibraltar identity card is an official identity document issued by Civil Status and Registration Office of the Government of Gibraltar to all British citizens living in Gibraltar. Validity of the document is 10 years (5 years for children u ...
. The exception to this was for travel to the Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
. All British citizens are entitled to enter the Republic of Ireland without the need to carry a valid travel document, on account of the Common Travel Area
The Common Travel Area (CTA; ga, Comhlimistéar Taistil, ) is an open borders area comprising the United Kingdom, Ireland, Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands. The British Overseas Territories are not included. Based on agreements that are no ...
agreement, though in practice, the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service
The Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service is part of the civil service of the Republic of Ireland. It serves as an executive agency of the Department of Justice.
Overview
The Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) was est ...
or Garda Síochána
(; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gover ...
systematically require proof of identity from all travellers landing in Irish airports from the UK.
* European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
* (EEA)
* (EEA)
* (EEA)
*
It became accepted also by:
*
* "Any travel document recognised by France or Spain"
*
*
*
*
*
*
* (only for tours organised by a travel agency for groups of more than three people)
*
*
*
It was also accepted as a travel document to enter the British Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories
The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...
:
* Part of EU
* Part of Common Travel Area — no travel document required to enter from the UK. (NB: Air travellers require photo ID for airline security purposes.)
* Part of Common Travel Area — no travel document required to enter from the UK. (NB: Air travellers require photo ID for airline security purposes.)
* Part of Common Travel Area — no travel document required to enter from the UK. (NB: Air travellers require photo ID for airline security purposes.)
All other overseas territories require a fully valid passport. Of the two countries closest to the UK not to accept British ID cards, Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
and Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
, the latter requires not only a passport but also for British citizens to obtain a visa in advance (except if entering and exiting through Minsk airport and staying for max 5 days).
Controversially, some travel companies initially refused to carry passengers with UK National Identity Cards.
Reaction
The announcement of the scheme had seen a mixed reaction from both the public and from figures connected to terrorism and law enforcement.
Public reaction
Over a period of time, public opinion, as measured by opinion polls, appears to have shifted away from support for the scheme towards opposition. This appeared to have become more of a concern since the disclosure of the loss of 25 million records by HM Revenue and Customs
HM Revenue and Customs (His Majesty's Revenue and Customs, or HMRC) is a non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial Departments of the United Kingdom Government, department of the His Majesty's Government, UK Government responsible fo ...
.
In 2003, the announcement of the scheme was followed by a public consultation exercise, particularly among 'stakeholder groups'. At March 2003 the government stated that the overall results were:
:in favour: 2606 responses (61%)
:against: 1587 responses (38%)
:neutral: 48 responses (1%)
By July 2006, an ICM poll indicated that public support had fallen to 46%, with opposition at 51%.
A further poll by YouGov
YouGov is a British international Internet-based market research and data analytics firm, headquartered in the UK, with operations in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. In 2007, it acquired US company Polimetrix, and sinc ...
/Daily Telegraph, published on 4 December 2006, indicated support for the identity card element of the scheme at 50%, with 39% opposed. Support for the national database was weaker, with 22% happy and 78% unhappy with the prospect of having their data recorded. Only 11% trusted the government to keep the data confidential. 3.12% of the sample were prepared to undergo long prison sentences rather than have a card.
Terrorism and crime
Eliza Manningham-Buller
Elizabeth Lydia Manningham-Buller, Baroness Manningham-Buller, (born 14 July 1948) is a retired British intelligence officer. She was Director General of MI5, the British internal Security Service, from October 2002 until her retirement in Apr ...
, the former head of Britain's counter-intelligence and security agency MI5
The Security Service, also known as MI5 ( Military Intelligence, Section 5), is the United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), G ...
was on record as supporting the introduction of identity cards, as was Sir Ian Blair
Ian Warwick Blair, Baron Blair of Boughton, (born 19 March 1953) is a British retired policeman who held the position of Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis from 2005 to 2008 and was the highest-ranking officer within the Metropolitan Pol ...
, former Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
and his predecessor, Sir John (now Lord) Stevens. The Association of Chief Police Officers
The Association of Chief Police Officers of England, Wales and Northern Ireland (ACPO) was a not-for-profit private limited company that for many years led the development of policing practices in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Established ...
was also supportive.
However, in November 2005, Dame
''Dame'' is an honorific title and the feminine form of address for the honour of damehood in many Christian chivalric orders, as well as the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system and those of several oth ...
Stella Rimington
Dame Stella Rimington (born 13 May 1935) is a British author and former Director General of MI5, a position she held from 1992 to 1996. She was the first female DG of MI5, and the first DG whose name was publicised on appointment. In 1993, Rimi ...
, who was Director General
A director general or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals''
) or general director is a senior executive (government), executive officer, often the chief executive offi ...
of MI5
The Security Service, also known as MI5 ( Military Intelligence, Section 5), is the United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), G ...
before Eliza Manningham-Buller, questioned the usefulness of the proposed scheme.
This intervention caused a good deal of controversy amongst supporters and opponents of the scheme, especially as Manningham-Buller stated that ID cards would in fact disrupt the activities of terrorists, noting that significant numbers of terrorists take advantage of the weaknesses of current identification methods to assist their activities.
Lord Carlile
Alexander Charles Carlile, Baron Carlile of Berriew, (born 12 February 1948) is a British barrister and crossbench member of the House of Lords. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Montgomeryshire from 1983 to 1997.
Early life and career
...
was appointed after 11 September attacks on New York and Washington in 2001 to independently review the working of the Terrorism Act 2000
The Terrorism Act 2000 (c.11) is the first of a number of general Terrorism Acts passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It superseded and repealed the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989 and the Northern Ireland (Emer ...
and subsequent anti-terrorist laws. Talking on GMTV
GMTV (an acronym for Good Morning Television), now legally known as ITV Breakfast Broadcasting Limited, was the name of the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor/licensee, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 ...
on 29 January 2006, he expressed his views on the proposed legislation, saying that ID cards could be of limited value in the fight against terrorism but that Parliament had to judge that value against the curtailment of civil liberties. Speaking on the same programme, Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington, former Met Police Commissioner, argued in favour for the need for identity cards, saying they had benefits in tackling serious crimes, such as money laundering and identity theft.
Objections to the scheme
Costs
Independent studies including one by the London School of Economics
, mottoeng = To understand the causes of things
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £240.8 million (2021)
, budget = £391.1 millio ...
had suggested that costs could be as much as £12 billion to £18 billion. The reliability of this study was challenged by the Labour Government which disputed some of the assumptions used in the calculations, such as the need to retake biometric information every 5 years. The government argued that this assumption had not been supported by any research in the London School of Economics report, and that biometric experts quoted in the LSE reports had sought to distance themselves from its findings. The Government also claimed that the authors of these estimates were established opponents to the scheme and could not be considered unbiased academic sources.
Tony McNulty, Home Office minister who was responsible for the scheme, responded by saying a "ceiling" on costs would be announced in October 2005. There were indications that the Labour Government was looking at ways of subsidising the scheme by charging other Government Departments, with the implication that this would result in increased charges for other Government services to individuals or businesses.
After the 2005 general election, the Home Office stated that it would cost £584 million a year to run the scheme. In October 2006, the Government declared it would cost £5.4bn to run the ID cards scheme for the next 10 years. In May 2007, the Home Office forecast a cost rise of £400m to £5.3 billion, a figure revised in November 2007 to £5.612bn.
The Labour Government abandoned plans for a giant new computer system to run the national identity card scheme. Instead of a single multibillion-pound system, information was held on three existing, separate databases.
An estimate from the Home Office placed the cost of a 10-year passport and ID card package at £85, while after the 2005 general election in May 2005 they issued a revised figure of over £93, and announced that a "standalone" ID card would cost £30. In 2009, it was announced that retailers would be collecting fingerprints and photographs, and that they would be able to charge for this, meaning that the total cost for a standalone ID card was expected to be up to £60.
Effectiveness
The then Home Secretary David Blunkett stated in 2004 said the cards would stop people using multiple identities and boost the fight against terrorism and organised crime. However, human rights group Liberty disputed this, pointing out that the existence of another form of ID cards in Spain did not prevent the Madrid train bombings.
However, Blunkett subsequently made a significant U-turn. At his opening speech for Infosecurity Europe on 27 April 2009, he stepped back from the concept of a full National Identity Database for every citizen, saying it would be sufficient to improve the verification of passports.
His successor, Charles Clarke, said that ID cards "cannot stop attacks", in the aftermath of the 7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings, often referred to as 7/7, were a series of four coordinated suicide attacks carried out by Islamic terrorists in London that targeted commuters travelling on the city's public transport system during the mo ...
, and added that he doubted it would have prevented the atrocities. However, he felt that on the balance between protecting civil liberties and preventing crime, ID cards would help rather than hinder.
Ethnic minorities
The Government's Race Equality Impact Assessment indicated significant concern among ethnic groups over how the police would use their powers under an Identity Cards Act 2006, with 64% of black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
and 53% of Indian respondents having expressed concern, particularly about the potential for abuse and discrimination
Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, relig ...
. In their January 2005 report on the Bill, the Commission for Racial Equality
The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom which aimed to address racial discrimination and promote racial equality. The commission was established in 1976, and disbanded in 2007 when its ...
stated that the fear of discrimination is neither misconceived nor exaggerated, and note that this is also an ongoing issue in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
, the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
The CRE were also concerned that disproportionate requirements by employers and the authorities for ethnic minorities to identify themselves may lead to a two-tiered structure amongst racial groups, with foreign nationals and British ethnic minorities feeling compelled to register while British white people do not.
According to the CRE, certain groups who move location frequently and who tend to live on low incomes (such as Gypsies
The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...
, travellers, asylum-seeker
An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country and applies for asylum (i.e., international protection) in that other country. An asylum seeker is an immigrant who has been forcibly displaced and m ...
s and refugee
A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution. s) would risk being criminalised under the legislation through failing to update their registration each time they moved due to lack of funds to pay the fee that may be charged.
Concerns raised by the Information Commissioner
In a press release on 30 July 2004, Richard Thomas the Information Commissioner's Office
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is a non-departmental public body which reports directly to the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). It is the independe ...
stated that
a NIR raised substantial data protection and personal privacy concerns. He sought clarification of why so much personal information needed to be kept as part of establishing an individual's identity and indicated concern about the wide range of bodies who would view the records of services individuals have used. The Commissioner also pointed out that those who renew or apply for a driving licence
A driver's license is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public ...
or passport
A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...
were to be automatically added to the National Identity Register, and so would lose the option of not registering. He subsequently stated: "My anxiety is that we don't sleepwalk into a surveillance society."
In February 2003, on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
's ''Today'' programme, he warned that ID cards could become a target for identity theft by organised crime
Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...
.
Human rights
On 2 February 2005, the British Parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights
The Joint Committee on Human Rights is a joint committee of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to consider human rights issues in the United Kingdom.
Membership
As at November 2022, the members of the committee ...
questioned the compatibility of the Bill with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights
The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR; formally the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms) is an international convention to protect human rights and political freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by t ...
(the right to respect for private life) and Article 14 (the right to non-discrimination), both of which are encapsulated in the Human Rights Act 1998.
Feature creep
Even without new primary legislation, the Identity Cards Act 2006 allowed the potential scope of the scheme to be much greater than that usually publicised by the Government.
For example, Gordon Brown was reported to be "planning a massive expansion of the ID cards project that would widen surveillance of everyday life by allowing high-street businesses to share confidential information with police databases."
Francis Elliott reporting on the development for ''The Independent'' noted that "police could be alerted as soon as a wanted person used a biometric-enabled cash card or even entered a building via an iris-scan door".
The wartime National Registration ID card expanded from 3 functions to 39 by the time it was abolished.
Concerns had also been raised following Tony Blair's response to an ID card petition stating that the fingerprint register would be used to compare the fingerprints of the population at large against the records of 900,000 unsolved crimes. Opposition MPs claimed that the use of the biometric data in this way would directly breach promises given during the Commons debate that there would be adequate safeguards preventing the use of ID card data for "fishing expeditions".
Database extent and access
Home Office forecasts envisaged that "265 government departments and as many as 48,000 accredited private sector organisations" would have had access to the database, and that 163 million identity verifications or more would take place each year.
However, the IPS had stated that only the data needed for the passport would have been kept and that organisations that have permission to access the data held on the Register could only have done so with the individual's permission, unless to prevent or investigate a crime.
Vulnerable individuals
The CRE had also recommended that more work was required to protect the interests of vulnerable individuals. For example, people escaping from domestic violence or a forced marriage may have been at risk if their previous names or addresses were disclosed. Minister Meg Hillier, in a letter to ''The Spectator'' magazine, claimed that as the ID card would not have someone's address on it, it would protect such a person's privacy in a way currently unavailable.
Identity theft
In May 2005, Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of t ...
said "ID cards are needed to stop the soaring costs of identity theft". However, security experts claimed that placing trust in a single document may make identity theft easier, since only this document needs to be targeted.
Technology
Elsewhere, doubts remained concerning the practicability of the scheme. Existing government systems were not appropriate for the issuing to United Kingdom, British citizens from 2009.
Tests of facial recognition system, facial recognition software dating from 2006 showed error rates of up to 52 per cent for the disabled.
The cards could stop some credit cards from working properly, when kept in the same wallet.[Revealed: The full shambles of the ID card trial in Greater Manchester , Manchester Evening News](_blank)
. menmedia.co.uk (30 December 2010). Retrieved on 13 June 2011.
Opposition campaigns
In May 2006, NO2ID launched the "Renew for Freedom" campaign, urging passport holders to renew their passports in the summer of 2006 to delay being entered on the National Identity Register. This followed the comment made by Charles Clarke
Charles Rodway Clarke (born 21 September 1950) is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Norwich South from 1997 until 2010, and served as Home Secretary from December 2004 until May 2006.
Early life
T ...
in the House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
that "anyone who feels strongly enough about the linkage [between passports and the ID scheme] not to want to be issued with an ID card in the initial phase will be free to surrender their existing passport and apply for a new passport before the designation order takes effect".
In response, the Home Office said that it was "hard to see what would be achieved, other than incurring unnecessary expense" by renewing passports early. However, the British passport#Fees, cost of a passport was £51 at the time, then increased in 2006 and 2007 to £72 and was due to rise to £93 after the introduction of ID cards.
On 14 November 2007, the NO2ID opposition group called for financial donations from the 11,360 people who had pledged to contribute to a fighting fund opposing the legislation. The organisation planned to challenge the statutory instruments that were planned to be brought in to enable the ID card scheme.
Shirley Williams, Baroness Williams and Nick Clegg said in 2007 that they would take part in civil disobedience campaigns by refusing to register for an ID card, or to attend photographic sittings.
Scotland
Although policy on passports and the National Identity Scheme was not an area devolved to the Scottish Government, on 19 November 2008, the Scottish Parliament voted to reject the ID card scheme, with no votes against the Scottish Government, government Parliamentary motion, motion, and only the Scottish Labour MSPs abstaining. In 2005, the previous Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition government had stated that "the proposals for an identity card scheme confine themselves to reserved policy areas only", and that ID cards will not be needed to access devolved services in Scotland, e.g. NHS Scotland, health, Education in Scotland, education, the Scots law, legal system and Transport in Scotland, transport. However the Scottish National Entitlement Card is required to obtain concessionary travel. It can also be used as Proof of Age for young people (Young Scot NEC) and give access to civic services such as libraries and leisure centres depending on the local authority.
Northern Ireland
The introduction of compulsory ID cards to Northern Ireland would likely have provoked serious opposition given the large Irish nationalism, Nationalist community who regard themselves as Irish and not British. In an effort to counter this, the British Government decided not to include the Union Flag on the card, and had stated that a separate card will be issued to Northern Irish people who identify their nationality as Ireland, Irish. The separate card would not have included any statement of nationality and could not have been used as an National identity cards in the European Economic Area, EEA travel document (as only the Government of Ireland, Irish Government may issue travel documents for Irish citizens, wherever resident). Home Secretary Alan Johnson had also stated that the inclusion of Northern Irish people on the National Identity Register of British citizens would not have prevented such people from claiming full Irish nationality law, Irish citizenship rights.
See also
* Opinion polls on the British national identity card
* Identity document
* "Kiss Ya Lips (No I.D.)", a protest song by Ian Brown
* National Insurance number
* Human rights in the United Kingdom
* Common Travel Area
The Common Travel Area (CTA; ga, Comhlimistéar Taistil, ) is an open borders area comprising the United Kingdom, Ireland, Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands. The British Overseas Territories are not included. Based on agreements that are no ...
* Schengen Information System
* Mass surveillance in the United Kingdom
* Work card
* Scottish National Entitlement Card
Notes
References
External links
Map of centres
September 2006
Online Debate – ID cards and the National Identity Register should be scrapped
August 2007
UK Borders Agency website information on ID cards for foreign nationals
IPS page describing what the different cards look like
News stories
* 22 November 2007, ''BBC''
Is Brown re-thinking ID cards?
* 22 November 2007, ''BBC''
Cameron calls for ID cards halt
* 14 September 2006, ''epolitix.com''
* 7 August 2006, ''Guardian''
* 14 June 2006, ''epolitix.com''
* 24 May 2006, ''BBC''
Lib Dems back the "Renew for Freedom" campaign
* 4 April 2006, ''The Register''
Passport rule change anticipates ID refusenik sabotage efforts
* 30 March 2006, ''BBC''
Identity cards will be made compulsory if Labour wins the next election
* 13 February 2006, ''The Daily Mirror''
Motorists could soon be forced to carry an ID card
* 30 January 2006, ''BBC''
Transsexuals 'to get 2 ID cards'
* 17 January 2006, ''The Times''
* 8 December 2005, ''Guardian''
* 17 November 2005, ''BBC''
Ex-MI5 chief sparks ID card row
* 18 October 2005, ''The Scotsman''
Microsoft security officer: ID cards will lead to 'massive fraud'
* 12 October 2005, ''The Register''
support for ID cards collapses
* 4 August 2005, ''BBC''
Labour admits ID card 'oversell'
* 8 July 2005, ''BBC''
Chales Clarke: ID cards wouldn't stop bomb attacks
* 5 July 2005, ''The Register''
"Clarke's ID card cost laundry starts to break surface"
* 3 July 2005, ''The Observer''
* 2 July 2005, Muriel Gray in ''The Guardian''
Nobody has nothing to hide: Identity cards will deprive the innocent of one of their most basic rights
– Information commissioner warns of surveillance society
* [https://www.theguardian.com/idcards/story/0,15642,1375858,00.html December 2004 ''Guardian'' If you value your freedom, reject this sinister ID card]
April 2004 ''Times'' It is right to experiment with identity cards
April 2004 ''Bloomberg'' Identity Card Will Make Fraud Easier
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20030920183859/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/07/04/ncard04.xml July 2002 ''Daily Telegraph'' £70 ID card to combine passport and car licence]
September 2001 ''Guardian'' ID cards might solve asylum crisis
Guides
March 2005 ''London School of Economics'' An Assessment of the UK Identity Cards Bill and its Implications
February 2005 ''Bow Group report'' The Case Against ID Cards, by Rt Hon Peter Lilley MP
December 2004 ''BBC'' Identity card Q&A
* [https://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/05/complete_idcard_guide/ May 2004 ''The Register'' Everything you never wanted to know about the UK ID card]
November 2003 ''Guardian'' Q&A
September 2001 ''Telegraph'' The case for and against identity cards
''A map of the debate on UK ID cards and the related ID databases""
Debategraph
Opposition groups
No2ID: UK campaign against ID Cards and mass surveillance
Defy-ID
Liberty – human rights concerns
Reform
idFolly
Haringey Against Identity Cards
{{identity cards
Government databases in the United Kingdom
Immigration to the United Kingdom
Law enforcement in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 2006
Identity documents of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Home Office (United Kingdom)
Human rights in the United Kingdom