MAYOR MUST LAY HIS IDENTITY CARDS ON THE TABLE

12.01.00am GMT Wed 15th Dec 2004

At Mayor's Question Time later today (Wednesday 15th December), London Assembly Liberal Democrats will attempt to discover the views of the Mayor on identity cards.

The Mayor has never been on record as either supporting or opposing ID cards. His last official comment on a scheme was in October 2001, when he said that he had 'never been opposed to them in principle but had yet to see a practical outline of the latest ID card proposals'.

The Liberal Democrats will point out that now that the Government has issued an ID cards Bill, it is time Londoners knew the views of the Mayor.

Leader of the London Assembly Liberal Democrats, Graham Tope, said:-

"With the Labour Government putting forward concrete ideas on an identity card scheme and the Tories now supporting them, it is time for the Mayor to lay his cards on the table and tell Londoners whether he supports or opposes their introduction.

"ID Cards will do little to tackle terrorism and the £3bn would be better spent on more resources for intelligence and policing, and could instead lead to more discrimination against London's ethnic minorities.

"Mr Livingstone should say whether he prefers the faulty ID scheme put forward by Ministers or instead invest the money spent on this scheme on extra police.

"The ID card Bill may not give the police new powers, but it will give them a powerful new tool for checking a suspect's identity and immigration status. The potential for racial discrimination in policing and in public services is massive."

ENDS

Notes to editor

The Assembly will quiz the Mayor on Wednesday 15th December 2004 at 10am at City Hall.

The last official record of the Mayor's view on ID cards is below:-

Identity Cards

[Main question]

Question number 0669/2001

Meeting date 17/10/2001

Question by Louise Bloom

What is your position on identity cards?

Answer by Ken Livingstone (1st Term)

Whilst I recognise the very real civil liberties issues with ID cards, I have never been opposed to them in principle. However, I have yet to see a practical outline of the latest ID card proposals. I will reserve judgement on any precise proposals.