Most Britons will be forced to have identity cards within five years after the Government tonight won a crucial vote in the House of Commons.
MPs voted by 310 to 279 to support the Government's plan that anyone who applies for a new passport will in future have to register their personal details on a national identity cards database.
After an edgy day when the possibility of losing the vote was not ruled out, in the end the Government won the vote comfortably with a majority of 31. But it is only the start of a tense week, with the confrontation over ID cards due to be followed on consecutive days by further battles over the smoking ban and controversial proposals for an offence of "glorifying" terrorism.
In a bid to secure their legislation, ministers had already conceded that the cards will not be made compulsory for all without further legislation being passed.
Gordon Brown spent three hours seeing Labour MPs in his room to ensure the expected rebellion was contained. Although the Lords could vote again to break the link with passports, the prospect of extended Parliamentary ping-pong on this issue seems unlikely.
Charles Clarke celebrated the Government's success. He assured MPs: "The benefits of the identity card scheme will grow steadily as more people obtain their cards. By linking the issue with the renewal of a document such as a passport, which around 80 per cent of the population already holds, there will be a manageable roll out of the identity card scheme.
"I believe that should surely be in the public interest."
He said in the future making people obtain a passport and an identity card would be just as "convenient" as applying for a biometric passport.
But the move was dubbed "creeping compulsion" by the Tories. The Government currently has a notional majority of 64 and tonight’s vote ensures the Bill will have to return to the Lords. Peers will then have to decide whether to back down or stand firm.
David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary, warned MPs against "sleepwalking into a surveillance state".
The Government claims that ID cards will eventually help in tackling benefits and housing fraud, and reducing misuse of the NHS. It also hopes that they will be useful against illegal immigration and in fighting terrorism.
Clare Short, a Labour former Cabinet minister, echoed the objections of many that a centralised, government-held database holding extensive personal details on all citizens was the real problem. Opponents term it a 'Big Brother' development, with attendant risks that computer hackers could gain access to a treasure trove of personal information. "What’s really wrong with this scheme is the register," she said.
She asked whether, if the Government compromise was accepted, would people still be compelled to be on the register because they applied for a passport.
Tony McNulty, a Home Office minister, replied that they would. But he assured MPs that the Government would not move to compulsion before reviewing the effects of the initial phase of ID cards, including that there "continues to be clear support for ID cards" and the technology was working, he promised. The power to make access to public services conditional on identity checks would also depend on the passing of further legislation.
The Government has also given in to demands for openness over costs, agreeing to an amendment tabled by Labour’s Frank Dobson calling for a report to MPs every six months on the price tag. It will hold back the actual details of the costs until it has agreed deals with private firms for setting up the scheme to avoid prejudicing commercial negotiations. The London School of Economics has put the total cost of the scheme at £19.2 billion, five times official estimates.
Meanwhile Mr Blair described the moment he heard a bang, just seconds before his plane was due to take-off. As a result of the aborted take-off, Mr Blair had to extend his visit to South Africa by one day and was unable to attend tonight's key votes. He told Sky News: "We were just about to take off. Another few seconds and we would have been in the air. Suddenly there was a bang. I didn’t have time to be particularly worried about it."
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said the take-off was aborted at the very last minute last night after the pilot spotted sparks coming from one of the plane’s three engines. The aircraft was moving down the runway ready for take-off when the problem was spotted, but it had not reached take-off velocity.
The spokesman said the private charter plane was carrying only the Prime Minister and his officials. He declined to name the airline responsible for the flight and said he expected discussions over who would cover the cost of Mr Blair’s lengthened stay.
The Prime Minister used his extra day in South Africa today to visit the site in Soweto of the signing of a charter of the African National Congress.
Earlier, Mr Brown issued a strong defence of the government’s plans to introduce identity cards, saying they would protect against identity fraud and thwart would-be terrorists using multiple identities.
In a speech at the the Royal United Services Institute in London, the Chancellor also played up his own role in fighting terrorism, by cracking down on transfers of money for suspected extremists while the government denied he was straying from his budget and finance brief. His venture into policy areas normally covered by the Prime Minister has been seen as another sign that he is gearing up to replace Mr Blair.
