According to Stephen Kinnock, the party is considering proposals to require everyone to apply for registration. However, the amount of data stored would be limited, in an attempt to allay concerns raised during Tony Blair’s prime ministership two decades ago about the breach of civil liberties. Labour’s bid to introduce identity cards 20 years ago was mired in controversy over the cards being linked to state rights, as well as wider civil liberties objections. Legislation for mandatory ID cards was passed in 2006, but in 2009 the then Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, backtracked and announced they would not be compulsory for UK citizens. The legislation was eventually repealed by the Conservative-Liberal coalition in 2010. In an interview with Times Radio, Kinnock revealed that an ID scheme was being considered “very, very carefully indeed”, adding that it would be “so useful” in reassuring the public that “we have our borders under control”. He suggested that almost every EU member state had some sort of identity scheme and it “couldn’t be beyond the human spirit” to devise one for Britain too. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. However, on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Kinnock’s senior Labor colleague Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, was less clear. Asked if ID cards were being considered as a solution to cracking down on unlicensed work in the UK, she said: “No, I think the point is that there is no proper enforcement of employment, which has become weaker and weaker. “If you have people who are either working illegally or being exploited, there is no proper employment enforcement, so we will put in place stronger employment enforcement with the right standards, as well as stronger action to crack down on criminal gangs and take action to tackle the problem ». The Labor Party has been approached for comment.
