Johnson announces ID card 'milestone'

The home secretary has announced the next "milestone" in the development of ID cards, unveiling the official design in Manchester.

Alan Johnson, speaking in Manchester and London, suggested that the new form of identification for British citizens would be welcomed by most people.

He also spoke of the "added advantage" of being able to use the cards to travel around Europe.

The ID card will contain the same information as a UK passport. But it will have the additional features of a photograph, and fingerprints on a secure electronic chip.

Identity fraud and forgery currently cost the UK around £1.2bn each year.

The ID card, championed by the government despite strong opposition, will also act as proof of age.

From early 2010, the cards will be issued on a voluntary basis to those in the North West, before being rolled out to the wider population in 2011/12.

Home secretary Alan Johnson explained: "The introduction of ID cards today reaches another milestone, enabling the people of Manchester to prove and protect their identity in a quick, simple and secure way.

"Given the growing problem of identity fraud and the inconvenience of having to carry passports, coupled with gas bills or six months’ worth of bank statements to prove identity, I believe the ID card will be welcomed as an important addition to the many plastic cards that most people already carry.

"The fact that it can be used as a passport when travelling in Europe will be an added advantage."

But shadow home secretary Chris Grayling has called for the scheme to be ditched.

The government has spent £215m on the ID cards so far, including the implementation of biometric passports, he said.

Quoting information released in a parliamentary question, the Tory frontbencher accused Labour of having "wasted £200m that we cannot afford".

"The scheme will cost hundreds of million pounds more, even if the cards are voluntary," Grayling stated. "It is time this scheme was completely scrapped."