Former Law Lord calls ID cards an 'invasion' of civil liberties

ID cards will not tackle serious crime or terrorism and will cost the country billions at a time of recession, a former Law Lord declared today.

In one of the most savage attacks yet on Labour's flagship policy, Lord Steyn said the £5billion scheme was "unnecessary" and "un-British".

Lord Steyn used a lecture at Gray's Inn Hall to accuse the Home Office of introducing the cards step by step as a way of "conditioning" public opinion.

The cards, already in use for foreign nationals, will be extended to British nationals from later this year.

Ministers say the scheme will help fight terrorism, crime and illegal immigration and help people easily prove their identity, but Lord Steyn said there was "absolutely no evidence" they would do so. Their introduction was an unjustified "invasion" of civil liberties, he added.

He said: "In my view a national identity card system is not necessary in our country. No further money should be spent on it. The idea should be abandoned."

"The Home Office now proudly asserts that comprehensive surveillance has become routine. If that is true, the resemblance to the world of Kafka is no longer so very distant."

The new Home Secretary Alan Johnson is reported to have launched a review of the scheme amid worries over civil liberties.

However, in a statement, he said: "In my very first interview as Home Secretary I made clear that identity cards was a manifesto commitment and legislation governing their introduction was passed in 2006."