ID cards "a waste of money"

8.42.07am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 27th Oct 2004

Local Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson Jo Swinson has slammed Government plans to introduce ID cards.

Expensive, bureaucratic and ineffective - Blunkett's ID card plan won't work

ID cards would not present an obstacle to most terrorists. The terrorists who attacked New York on September 11th 2001 and Madrid on March 11th 2004 carried valid identity cards. The cost of the scheme will be at least £3billion over 10 years, with individual cards costing £35, or £77 for a combined passport and ID card.

Jo said, "It will cost a fortune and for what benefit? No one has spelt out what the cards are for. The money could be much better spent on more police and more intelligence officers for MI5."