Identity Cards Bill — Second Reading — 20 Dec 2004 at 21:47

Those who voted Aye failed to change the motion for debate to:

This House declines to give a Second Reading to the Identity Cards Bill because it would lead to an unreasonable intrusion into the liberties and privacy of the citizen; it would not achieve benefits proportionate to the cost, as the underlying technology is likely to prove unreliable; and the introduction of such cards is likely to lead to a requirement that they be carried at all times and such a requirement would be objectionable in principle and would lead to serious tension between the police and the citizen.

which could have blocked the Identity Cards Bill, had it been passed.

Note to readers: This is the old Identity Cards Bill, introduced by the then Home Secretary David Blunkett in the 2001 Parliament. It passed all stages in the House of Commons, but ultimately failed to get into law due to the timing of the 2005 General Election. The new Identity Cards Bill was introduced by the Home Secretary Charles Clarke on 28 June 2005 and, although it is virtually the same, must proceed through all the stages of Parliamentary scrutiny once again.

Debate in Parliament | Historical Hansard | Source |