ID Cards Should Be Ditched Now - Huhne

1.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 30th Jun 2009

Commenting on today's climbdown from the Home Secretary on plans to make ID cards compulsory for pilots and airside workers, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said:

"This is another nail in the coffin for the Government's illiberal ID cards policy, which will soon be so voluntary that only Home Office mandarins seeking promotion will have them.

"Airport workers did not want to be guinea pigs for this deeply unpopular scheme, which has now been reduced to nothing more than a second-rate passport.

"These expensive and intrusive plans should be ditched now.

"The vast amount of money would be far better spent on something that will actually fight crime and terrorism - ten thousand more police on the street."