Clarke blasts Cameron over ID cards

Press Association
Nov. 26, 2006

Former Home Secretary Charles Clarke has hit out at Tory leader David Cameron in a passionate defence of identity cards.

Prime Minister Tony Blair backs the cards, but has faced criticism over the issue from the Tory leader who has branded them "un-British".

Mr Clarke, speaking at a fringe meeting at Labour's Scottish conference in Oban, dismissed fears that the cards will encourage a "Big Brother" state and said Mr Cameron's position would leave citizens unprotected.

A Bill on identity cards suffered a setback in the House of Lords this year when peers voted to shelve plans until more detail on costs was provided.

As Home Secretary, Mr Clarke was responsible both for the legislation on identity cards and for establishing European law that allowed telecommunications data to be kept for police purposes.

"They are not creating, or even extending, the 'Big Brother' society," said Mr Clarke.

"They are an effort to control it and to give every individual a greater right to control the use of their own identity, in a world where many wish to abuse it."

He added: "Identity cards are only one way to contest those criminals who wish to abuse our identity in these and many other ways."

He said the best way to tackle people-traffickers and drug-dealers and to fight terrorist organisations was through intelligence.

Techniques used by international law enforcement agencies like biometric passports, automatic number plate recognition, CCTV and the collection of telecommunications data won the backing of Mr Clarke. But he added that every database, public or private, must be established on a proper legal basis.