Britons should be required to carry identity cards—described by ‘small-c’ conservative author Peter Hitchens as “nasty badges of serfdom”—in order to tackle the illegal migration crisis, which politicians are failing to control.
That is according to former Labour home secretary Lord Blunkett, who claims ID cards “are a simple, practical and affordable answer, one that would shatter the business model of organised international gangs making billions from human trafficking.”
Blunkett argues that if migrants were required to hold ID cards to work in Britain—which, unlike some of its European neighbours, lacks such a scheme—many “would be less inclined to come here.”
The idea, he adds, is opposed by an “angry minority” that is “obsessed with the myth of state surveillance.”
Lord Blunkett has long supported the introduction of compulsory identity cards— ignoring heavy campaigning from civil liberties groups—leading one human rights lawyer to this week describe him as a “one-trick pony.”
The idea of a compulsory ID card scheme is also backed by the Tony Blair Institute, but it is far from being a uniting issue within the Labour Party.
When such a programme was touted towards the end of 2022, left-wing Labour MP Clive Lewis described ID cards as an “utter, dystopian, disaster.”
Yvette Cooper, then the shadow home secretary, also said “no” to the idea of introducing them. The year before, the Together Declaration mobilised successfully against the introduction of Covid passports, with spokesperson Alan Miller stating that in Britain “the idea that we have a discriminatory two-tiered society where we have security guards asking people for some of the most sensitive information was just too much.”
All this points to the likelihood of a rift within government when Labour attains office at the next general election—whenever that may be. The Conservatives, having themselves “dabbled” with the idea of ID cards over the years, after being the first to call for their introduction, should not be expected to make any great contribution to this upcoming debate.
As it stands, Labour has (kind of) rejected Lord Blunkett’s latest call, with a spokesman telling The Daily Telegraph:
There are already ID requirements for foreign citizens living or working in the UK. But the problem is there are no proper checks or enforcement to prevent illegal working and exploitation.
Blunkett’s appeal to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer coincides with Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak continuing to bungle his ‘Rwanda plan,’ intended to deter future Channel crossings, with more than 5,000 making the perilous—and illegal—journey so far this year. (It was revealed earlier that an airline willing to conduct deportation flights has yet to be found.)
One Home Office worker also told Politico this week that civil servants have sent “several” submissions to ministers regarding their Illegal Migration Act but have not heard back, stating:
I don’t know if the current ministers are inept and can’t decide, or if there are hidden political rifts.
On balance, it seems unlikely that a Labour shift to supporting identity cards would deter the ‘small boats’ crossings—although law-abiding Britons would soon notice the inconvenient and menacing shift to a ‘papers please’ society.
