19th October 2009

The Home Office announced today that it has dropped its proposal to retain the DNA profiles of innocent people for 6 and 12 years [1].

In practice, this leaves nearly a million people unlawfully on the National DNA Database with little prospect of having their DNA removed. Meanwhile, innocent people’s DNA continues to be added to the database and ACPO’s advice to Chief Constables means that last December’s European Court of Human Rights ruling will simply be ignored until the government has done something about it [2].

Phil Booth, NO2ID’s National Coordinator, said:

The brass neck of the Home Office is quite staggering. Having postponed any action for 10 months already through a sham consultation based on dodgy evidence and even more dodgy reasoning, it now suggests that doing nothing for at least another six months is ‘expeditiously complying with the ruling’ against it.

Guy Herbert, NO2ID’s General Secretary, said:

By removing the relevant order-making power from the Bill, the Home Office has ensured that no incoming Home Secretary can change the situation without further primary legislation. If it is not going to get the changes in the way it wants them, then there won’t *be* any changes. The equivalent of taking the ball home after being sent off for a foul.

-ENDS-

Notes for editors:

1. ‘Home Office climbs down over keeping DNA records on innocent’ Guardian, 19/9/09 – http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/oct/19/innocent-dna-database
2. ‘Police told to ignore human rights ruling over DNA database’, Guardian, 7/8/09 – http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/aug/07/dna-database-police-advice
3. NO2ID is the UK-wide non-partisan campaign against ID cards and the database state. See http://www.no2id.net/dbstate for a list of ‘database state’ initiatives that NO2ID is actively opposing, and http://www.no2id.net/datasharing for how it all fits together.

For immediate release: Friday 9 October 2009

A new poll conducted by ICM for NO2ID [1] shows that public support for ID cards is at its lowest point ever, with a clear majority opposed to the scheme.

NO2ID [2] has periodically asked an identical unbiased question about ID cards since June 2005, to reveal the trend in public opinion. When asked in this latest poll, 60% said they thought ID cards were a bad idea while only 38% said they thought they were a good idea. Asked separately about plans for a national database which lie behind the scheme, the public is opposed by a 2-to-1 majority.

The Home Office is still pushing ahead with the scheme. Gordon Brown misled many by his remarks at the Labour Party conference[3], but there has been no change of plan. A £544,000 government advertising scheme has been launched this month, aimed at convincing businesses that ID cards will matter to them. And the Home Office has picked on Manchester as the location for a pilot scheme that will try to find volunteers to enrol early.

This weekend, NO2ID launches its ‘Stop the ID Card Con’ campaign [4] with campaigners from all over the country converging on Greater Manchester to urge people “Don’t be a Guinea Pig”. Under the scheme, once someone applies for an ID card, even as a volunteer, they are placed on the National Identity Register for life and their personal information is put irrevocably under Home Office control.

Phil Booth, National Coordinator of NO2ID said:

Ministers have always claimed overwhelming support, but that is the opposite of the truth. The more people know about the ID scheme the less they like it.

Treating the people of Manchester like idiots, trying to dupe them onto a register they can never leave, is insane Whitehall arrogance. If it is unpopular now, then just wait till the first targets of the ID card con find out how they have been lied to.

-ENDS-

Notes for editors:

1) ICM Research interviewed a random sample of 1010 adults aged 18+ by telephone between October 2nd – 4th 2009. Interviews were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.
Further information at www.icmresearch.co.uk
The poll data will shortly be available online, but if you require a copy of the results in the meanwhile please contact NO2ID directly.

2) NO2ID is the UK-wide non-partisan campaign against ID cards and the database state. See http://www.no2id.net/dbstate.php for a list of ‘database state’ initiatives that NO2ID is actively opposing, and http://www.no2id.net/datasharing for how it all fits together.

3) See ‘Gordon Brown’s back door to compulsory ID cards’, Guardian, 29/08/09
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/sep/29/id-cards-gordon-brown-speech

4) See http://www.idcardcon.org for details.