Big Brother scare over ‘wartime ID rules’

03 December, 2008, 18:13

A new legislation on immigrant policy could mean everyone in Great Britain will be forced to carry an ID at all times, liberal activists warn.

The new legislation was unveiled Wednesday during the Queen's Speech – a traditional address of the British monarch to both chambers of Parliament to outline the programme for the new session.

The rules are aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration and giving new powers to police and immigration officers. Critics say the move would effectively take Britain back to the Second World War, when compulsory ID cards were used, believes the civil rights group Liberty.

One clause in the new Immigration and Citizenship Bill would permit officials to stop anyone to check if they have permission to be in the UK and whether they can produce the papers on the spot. British citizens would be legitimate subjects to such a test on par with immigrants, even if they have never once left the country in their life.

Failure to produce a valid ID would be treated as a criminal offence with a maximum penalty of 51 weeks in jail, or a severe fine, another clause says.

“Sneaking in compulsory identity cards via the back door of immigration law is a cynical escalation of this expensive and intrusive scheme,” Director of Liberty Shami Chakrabarti told the Daily Mail newspaper.

Officials reject such allegations.

A government spokesman said: “It is simply wrong to claim there are any plans whatsoever to make identity cards compulsory for British citizens, or to require British citizens to have an ID card at all times and present it when asked.”

Most countries in the EU – especially new Eastern European members – have some sort of compulsory ID documents. Austria, Finland, France, Italy, Iceland and several other countries use non-compulsory IDs that can be used to access some services, or used as travel papers.

In the United Kingdom compulsory IDs were abolished in 1952 by Winston Churchill's government as they saw no use for them in peacetime.