Liberal Democrat shadow Home Secretary has slammed the government after
news that all 3m EU citizens resident in Britain will have to
apply for identity cards.
said:
“The government announcement on EU citizens leaves so much in
doubt. From the description it seems as if this is ID cards by
the backdoor.
“ resigned his seat and caused a
by-election because he was disgusted by the assault on civil
liberties by the then Labour government. What will he do this
time round?
“I have written to the Home Secretary to establish whether this
indeed is ID cards by the backdoor and whether EU nationals will
now be required to carry them on their person at all times. If so
have ministers worked out the practicalities of such a scheme, as
well as the cost? The government also needs to explain how an ID
card system works when only a small proportion of the population
will be required to carry them.”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Here is the letter has written to :
Dear Home Secretary,
I am writing to clarify your Government’s position on
Identification Cards. The Command Paper published on 26 June 2017
states:
Obtaining documentation showing their settled status will
enable EU citizens resident here to carry on living here
lawfully. Moreover it will help them to demonstrate to employers
and other service providers their ongoing rights to be in the UK
and to enjoy entitlements to benefits and public services. It
will demonstrate (to employers, for example) that the holder
continues to enjoy these rights, irrespective of any different
migration controls the Government may introduce with regard to
newly arriving EU citizens following the UK’s departure from
the EU.
It also states that:
The Home Office may also need to capture evidence of EU
citizens’ biometric information during the application
process
This has sparked concerns that this amounts to Identification
Cards for EU nationals with ‘Settled Status’. Can you guarantee
that this new status will not require EU nationals who receive it
to carry documentation signalling their status and that this will
not amount to an ID card?
If this is some form of identification card then I would be
grateful if you could set out the likely cost of this policy and
how you expect it to work – particularly given the fact only a
small minority of those living in the United Kingdom will carry
one.
I imagine you will want to clarify this in a swift manner so I
look forward to reading your reply in the near future.
Yours sincerely
Rt Hon Sir