BRITAIN: The British home secretary, Mr David Blunkett, called yesterday for a national ID card scheme to be included in the government's next legislative programme after admitting he has no accurate idea how many illegal immigrants are in the UK.
Asked for his best estimate of how many unregistered people are in the UK who do not have the legal right to be in Britain, Mr Blunkett admitted: "I haven't got a clue."
Mr Blunkett acknowledged that there is a "vigorous" debate going on within the Labour cabinet over ID cards. But he argued the case for a scheme to be included in the queen's speech on November 26th, which details the legislative programme.
A robust identity verification system was important to efforts to combat illegal immigration, he maintained.
Asked about the number of unregistered illegals during an interview on BBC 1's Breakfast With Frost, Mr Blunkett conceded: "I haven't got a clue.
"The reason we haven't is, of course, because we don't have a rigorous and enforceable identification system linked to a register of all those who are in the country."
Mr Blunkett stressed that suggestions that the number of illegals might be up to a million were wrong. That was clear from the number of people who come into contact with various public services, he said.
Mr Blunkett acknowledged that the ID card issue is prompting a heated debate within the British government.
"There are genuine scepticisms ... Yes, there are really vigorous debates going on about how compulsory is compulsory. But my own view is that the minimum is that you can't actually work, or draw on services, register for services unless you have that card."
The intention is that the microchip cards, which would carry biometric information such as a scan of the iris of the eye or fingerprints, would assist the authorities in stamping out benefit fraud, illegal working, abuse of the NHS and other types of identity crime.
Mr Blunkett said it would not be necessary to carry the card at all times, although it would have to be produced when required by competent authorities.
The Conservative shadow home secretary Mr Oliver Letwin said the Labour government did not seem to have "any clear idea of where it is going on the issue" and that the home secretary was "mumbling half-baked ideas".
Liberal Democrat leader Mr Charles Kennedy said his party would oppose Mr Blunkett's plans for ID cards.
He said he believed the vast majority of people in his party would consider the move "illiberal". He said his party would be concerned over the possibility that certain groups would face a far higher rate of demands from police to show their papers.
- (PA)