This is a major blow to the Governments disgusting plans to track & trace every movement of every British citizen, but they're still going ahead with some very questionable, expensive, & needless schemes.
Alan Johnson: ID cards 'will never be compulsory' for Britons
Richard Ford, Home Correspondent
Alan Johnson signalled a major retreat by the Government on identity cards when he ruled out ever making them compulsory for British citizens.
The Home Secretary also abandoned plans for a pilot project at two airports which would have required some staff and pilots to carry the cards.
The schemes for new workers wishing to go airside at Manchester Airport and London City Airport will now only be voluntary.
But the Government is to press ahead with creating a national identity register which, from 2011-12, will include the details of everyone who applies for a passport.
Legislation to be debated next week will make it an offence punishable by a fine of up to £1,000 not to inform the Government of a change of address or name as it appears on the register.
Mr Johnson, who has reviewed the £4.8 billion identity card scheme since he took over last month as Home Secretary, said that Britons would never be forced to have a card.
Previously the Government had said that once about 80 per cent of the population had the card it would bring forward legislation to require every citizens to have one.
Asked whether that was still the Government’s position, Mr Johnson said: â€It is not the position now.â€
Legislation to force some workers at Manchester Airport and London City Airport to have an identity card will be withdrawn - less than two months after it was laid before Parliament.
Today’s announcement means that the only people for whom it will be compulsory to have an identity card will be foreign nationals.
Mr Johnson said: â€Holding an identity card should be a personal choice for British citizens - just as it is now to obtain a passport.
“Accordingly I want the introduction of identity cards for all British citizens to be voluntary and I have therefore decided that identity cards issued to airside workers, planned initially at Manchester and London City airports later this year, should also be voluntary.â€
The Home Secretary said he still believed the cards would help to improve security at airports.
He admitted that the Government had allowed the perception to grow that the cards would be a “panacea†that would stop terrorism.
Instead the Home Office is presenting identity cards as a way of tackling identity theft, trafficking, illegal working and providing a universal proof of identity.
The Home Secretary said he was an “instinctive†supporter of ID cards and said he wanted to “accelerate†the delivery of the cards.
The introduction of the ID card scheme will be accelerated voluntarily for UK citizens, starting in Greater Manchester by the end of the year.
Residents in other locations in the North West will be able to apply from early 2010, while the Government's intention is to introduce the scheme in London in the same year - 12 months early. Some 3,500 UK citizens have already applied for the cards.
Jim McAuslan, general secretary of the British Airline Pilots’ Association (Balpa), said: “This is a sensible change of approach and one which we welcome.
“Balpa has always had aviation security high on its agenda and has a number of ideas on how we can improve airport security which we will be pursuing with the Secretary of State for Transport.â€
Chris Grayling, the Shadow Home Secretary, said: "This decision is symbolic of a Government in chaos. They have spent millions on the scheme so far - the Home Secretary thinks it has been a waste and wants to scrap it, but the Prime Minister won't let him. So we end up with an absurd fudge instead. This is no way to run the country."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6611494.ece
Alan Johnson: ID cards 'will never be compulsory' for Britons
Richard Ford, Home Correspondent
Alan Johnson signalled a major retreat by the Government on identity cards when he ruled out ever making them compulsory for British citizens.
The Home Secretary also abandoned plans for a pilot project at two airports which would have required some staff and pilots to carry the cards.
The schemes for new workers wishing to go airside at Manchester Airport and London City Airport will now only be voluntary.
But the Government is to press ahead with creating a national identity register which, from 2011-12, will include the details of everyone who applies for a passport.
Legislation to be debated next week will make it an offence punishable by a fine of up to £1,000 not to inform the Government of a change of address or name as it appears on the register.
Mr Johnson, who has reviewed the £4.8 billion identity card scheme since he took over last month as Home Secretary, said that Britons would never be forced to have a card.
Previously the Government had said that once about 80 per cent of the population had the card it would bring forward legislation to require every citizens to have one.
Asked whether that was still the Government’s position, Mr Johnson said: â€It is not the position now.â€
Legislation to force some workers at Manchester Airport and London City Airport to have an identity card will be withdrawn - less than two months after it was laid before Parliament.
Today’s announcement means that the only people for whom it will be compulsory to have an identity card will be foreign nationals.
Mr Johnson said: â€Holding an identity card should be a personal choice for British citizens - just as it is now to obtain a passport.
“Accordingly I want the introduction of identity cards for all British citizens to be voluntary and I have therefore decided that identity cards issued to airside workers, planned initially at Manchester and London City airports later this year, should also be voluntary.â€
The Home Secretary said he still believed the cards would help to improve security at airports.
He admitted that the Government had allowed the perception to grow that the cards would be a “panacea†that would stop terrorism.
Instead the Home Office is presenting identity cards as a way of tackling identity theft, trafficking, illegal working and providing a universal proof of identity.
The Home Secretary said he was an “instinctive†supporter of ID cards and said he wanted to “accelerate†the delivery of the cards.
The introduction of the ID card scheme will be accelerated voluntarily for UK citizens, starting in Greater Manchester by the end of the year.
Residents in other locations in the North West will be able to apply from early 2010, while the Government's intention is to introduce the scheme in London in the same year - 12 months early. Some 3,500 UK citizens have already applied for the cards.
Jim McAuslan, general secretary of the British Airline Pilots’ Association (Balpa), said: “This is a sensible change of approach and one which we welcome.
“Balpa has always had aviation security high on its agenda and has a number of ideas on how we can improve airport security which we will be pursuing with the Secretary of State for Transport.â€
Chris Grayling, the Shadow Home Secretary, said: "This decision is symbolic of a Government in chaos. They have spent millions on the scheme so far - the Home Secretary thinks it has been a waste and wants to scrap it, but the Prime Minister won't let him. So we end up with an absurd fudge instead. This is no way to run the country."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6611494.ece
