Gordon Brown Rules Out Compulsory ID cards

It has been announced just recently that Gordon Brown has ruled out the possibility of compulsory ID cards for British Nationals. Of course, this statement was mostly a reiteration of an announcement that was made by Alan Johnson earlier this summer. Alan Johnson said that the government would not introduce a legislation that would make these ID cards compulsory.

Brown went on to say in his speech that, in the next parliament, there will be no compulsory ID cards for British citizens. When this was announced, Brown actually received the biggest cheers that he heard for his whole hour long speech.

Of course, those that are applying for passports will still have their fingerprints taken and held on the national identity register. This is a central database to be used for ID cards and biometric passport. The Home Office, however, has the power to make a passport a designated document.

Gordon Brown did go on to promise to reduce the number of pieces of personal data that are required to apply for a biometric passport. Brown said that he would reduce the information that British citizens have to give for these passports, thus, making it easy to get one.

The government does hope that there will be a very large voluntary uptake on the ID cards over the next few years. The government will be spending nearly £500,000 on an advertising campaign that will be targeted in the North West to get people interested in these cards. The ad campaign has been chosen for this area since this is where the cards will be launched for the first time.