Minister flip-flops on Blair's proposal for digital ID cards

A Labour cabinet minister has ruled out the introduction of digital ID cards after Tony Blair called for their use to help control migration.

- KATE DEVLIN

Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds initially said the government would be "looking at all sorts of things" and he did not want to pre-empt that work. But in an interview nearly two hours later, he said: “I can rule out ID cards for you. That’s not something which is part of our plans.”

The idea was one of the former prime minister’s flagship policies in Downing Street but it was killed off after he lost power. Pushing the new government to embrace the scheme, he said: “We need a plan to control immigration. If we don’t have rules, we get prejudices.”

Yesterday, Mr Reynolds said the home secretary Yvette Cooper would look at “all sources of advice” on the issue. But sources close to Ms Cooper said ID cards were not Labour policy and that had not changed. He later told Times Radio he could rule out ID cards.