ID CARDS WON'T WORK AND WILL WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY 

Government plans to fingerprint every citizen in the UK - and charge you for the privilege - have been slammed by Conservatives in a new campaign against Identity Cards. 

London, 5 February 2007 -- David Cameron, the Conservative Party leader, has pledged to scrap the £20 billion scheme. 

Under the Labour Government’s plans for ID cards, every citizen will be fingerprinted and interviewed, and forced to travel at their own expense to a regional centre (Middlesbrough or Newcastle in the North East). Each person will have to pay at least £93 for a combined ID card and passport package. If the card is lost or stolen, the replacement fee will be at least £30. If you get married and change your name, you will have to pay for a new card as well. 

Martin Callanan MEP, remarked: 

“ID cards are a bad idea. They will do nothing to improve the safety of our citizens. They are not the answer to the threat of terrorism, to benefit fraud, illegal immigration, human trafficking or to identity theft. They are a waste of money, and a Conservative Government will abolish them.” 

“The Labour Government’s plans are to make ID Cards compulsory for everyone, and force people to pay to be fingerprinted by the State. Instead of these intrusive, expensive and ineffective ID Cards, the money should be spent on more worthwhile projects to cut crime - such as a dedicated UK Border Police, more prison spaces and increasing the number of residential drug rehabilitation places.”

To find out more about the campaign against ID cards visit: www.conservatives.com/laboursbadidea