Lords defeat Government over ID Cards again

4.21.30pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 24th Jan 2006

UK National Identity Card (Design Mock-up)

Last night the House of Lords defeated the Government plans for ID Cards twice to keep any ID Cards voluntary. The Lords backed a move to keep the controversial system voluntary by 186 to 142 and also an amendment that requires a separate Act of Parliament before ID cards could become compulsory was backed by 198 to 140.

Liberal Democrat Lord Phillips of Sudbury said "Citizens should not be forced to have ID cards. Compulsion is far too often resorted to by the modern state. It comes from an intensely managerial culture in which regulation rules. That sits uneasily with fundamental rights such as privacy and voluntarism."

After the votes, Lord Phillips added "This is a great victory for civil liberties. No one spoke in favour of compulsion during the debate, except for the minister. I hope this defeat will cause the government to think again about its flawed and expensive scheme."