First British ID card revealed
First UK ID card unveiled by home secretary Jacqui Smith
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Thursday, 25, Sep 2008 07:31
The design of the first UK ID card - for foreign nationals – has been unveiled by home secretary Jacqui Smith.
Ms Smith revealed the designs of the first card at a press conference in central London.
She told journalists the unveiling was a "mark of commitment" from the government to the controversial scheme, which will begin on November 25th.
"Foreign nationals want to be able to prove they are living, working and studying [in the UK] legally," Ms Smith said.
"[These cards] will also stop those wishing to illegally benefit from the privileges of living in Britain."
ID cards are a hugely controversial issue with many campaigners vehemently opposed to the government's plans.
The Home Office has said it will begin rolling out biometric residence permits for foreign nationals in November and expects the first ID cards to be issued to British citizens working in "sensitive roles" in 2009. And, from 2010, the cards will be offered to young people on a purely voluntary basis.
The home secretary said this morning that the government wanted to be "confident that people are who they say they are".
"We all want to see our borders more secure," she said before criticising the Conservatives' opposition to the scheme.
Ms Smith said she expected 50,000 of the cards to be issued to foreign nationals from November to May next year and said she believed they would be a popular measure.
"Many people will want to prove their identity and prove the identity of others," she said, adding that many UK citizens will see it as a positive step to making their communities secure.
The Home Office claims the cards will help police and border officials and had the backing of employers and colleges.
An Identity and Passport Offices spokeswoman admitted that during testing some people found it harder to give fingerprints than others, but Ms Smith was quick to claim that those exceptions would not "undermine the scheme".
The home secretary confirmed that the card would be issued to foreign nationals under the age of 16, but not for British citizens.
She said that the government had been in talks with airports regarding the issuing of ID cards to workers and said she expected to introduce them next year.
From 2011, the cards will be issued alongside biometric passports on a voluntary basis, though Ms Smith continually expressed her belief that they would be well-received by the British public.
Ms Smith added that by 2015, she expected 90 per cent of foreign nationals in the UK to have been issued with one of the cards.
Phil Booth, from the campaign group NO2ID, commented: "No doubt the home secretary is relieved to be able to wave a plastic card and claim it for the ID scheme, given her department has now spent over £100 million pounds of public money; but this is still a cynical branding exercise.
"To suggest ID cards are somehow connected to immigration policy Jacqui Smith is deliberately engaging in populist bullying of the soft targets – anonymous individuals seeking marriage visas or education – those who have no choice but to keep quiet and comply.
"All resident foreigners is a different matter. When it comes round to fingerprinting Madonna or Kylie, say, such tactics will backfire."