ID cards: the tide turns

Responding to the publication of the Identity Documents Bill today Phil Booth, National Coordinator of NO2ID [1] said:

‘That the very first Bill to be presented by the coalition government will repeal the Identity Cards Act 2006 is a sign that the tide has turned.

‘NO2ID will not be going away just yet: there is work to be done against a deeply entrenched database state. But we hope that, as it has listened to our case against the National Identity Register, the new administration will also be persuaded in the name of privacy and liberty to tackle other mass-surveillance schemes.’

-ENDS-
Notes for editors:

1. 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.

Phil Booth and Guy Herbert are in central London today, and available for interview. Please call Phil first:

• Phil Booth (National Co-ordinator, national.coordinator@no2id.net) on 07974 230 839
• Guy Herbert (General Secretary, general.secretary@no2id.net) on 07956 544 308
• Michael Parker (Press Officer, press.officer@no2id.net) on 07773 376 166

Coalition must kill ID scheme at once

Responding to Nick Clegg’s speech on on constitutional reform and the New Politics[1], NO2ID[2] sounded a note of caution. Asking the public which laws to scrap could be a recipe for civil service delay.

Phil Booth, National Coordinator of NO2ID said:

‘Millions of people have been waiting to hear the words. But now it’s time for action. Both the Lib Dems and Tories are committed to scrapping ID cards and rolling back the database state. We don’t need a public consultation about it. They have a massive electoral mandate.[3]

‘Further repeals will be necessary. No-one imagines ‘tearing through the statute book’ will be quick or easy. But the new government must get on with the job straight away, rather than compile a huge shopping list. They can root out the rest later.

Notes for editors:

1. The Deputy Prime Minister said in his first official speech: ‘And as we tear through the statute book, we’ll do something no government ever has: we will ask you which laws you think should go.’ Full text here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8691753.stm
2. 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.
3. Counting minor parties, 384 MPs now sit, and 69.7% of the vote was cast, for parties with a manifesto commitment to scrap the ID scheme.

For further information, or for immediate or future interview, please contact:

• Phil Booth (National Co-ordinator, national.coordinator@no2id.net) on 07974 230 839
• Guy Herbert (General Secretary, general.secretary@no2id.net) on 07956 544 308
• Michael Parker (Press Officer, press.officer@no2id.net) on 07773 376 166