Sunder Katwala, one of the most balanced and measured of those who think about Britain’s relationship with immigrants, recently made the point voters want controls on immigration not racist rejection of immigrants.
Now David Blunkett has suggested Britain should re-examine the case for Identity Cards. At a January gathering of British and Swiss MPs the topic of immigration was discussed. Liz Truss insisted that the solution lay in curbing the power of judges and officials on the Council of Europe and its European Court of Human Rights.
The Swiss MPs looked baffled. Swiss MPs and judges play a leading role in the Strasbourg institutions and have no problems with international law.
They also expressed surprise that Britain which has half the number of immigrants as a share of population as Switzerland could run a modern economy without a regular flow of new incomers. For the Swiss the answer lay in allowing immigrants including refugees to work, insisting on and investing in language training, and identity cards to prove legal entitlement to be in Switzerland and obtain work, housing, access to health care or education.
Britain gave up this key control in 2010 when the Conservative-LibDem government abolished the recently introduced identity card system. In every other European country an ID card is needed to show proof of legal right to be in the nation. They don’t have to be carried but most keep the small modern ID card in a wallet or purse. In France, they are shown at voting stations to get a ballot paper to vote.
ID cards were in the 2005 Labour manifesto which won the election. The law was passed in 2006. It then disappeared into the Home Office blob and cards were only begun to be issued in early 2010. Had they been issued 2-3 years earlier millions would have been taken up and issued to all immigrants. They would have been seen as calming some fears about immigrant numbers as well as providing proof of identity when voting.
An unholy alliance of Tory and LibDem MPs, leftist and right-wing commentators whipped up fears so it was easy to to abolish them in summer 2010. In consequence we are the only European country that does not know who is in Britain and cannot control or even count undocumented immigrants.
David Blunkett, who was the most forceful and innovative Home Secretary this century has now come out with the sensible idea that an incoming Labour government should revive an ID card system to assure the population that the government knows who is in Britain and making sure only those with legal entitlement can work here. They also solve the identity issue when voting. They don’t have to be mandatory but as in Denmark it is easy to apply for one. They are also handy for travel in Europe if ever in some far off future Brits can get restored the right to live, work, study and retire across the Channel
A version of this article was published in The Times
Numbers of immigrants is not a problem. And Labour would be well advised to start briefing accordingly. The problem is the extent to which our economy relies so heavily on low paid immigrants. If we managed asylum and illegal immigration better we'd win more votes and make a small dint in labour shortage.
ID cards is wholly correct and wholly irrelevant at the moment. I support them but in current febrile atmosphere would oppose them because it would mean alligning with racists.