Welsh Labour MP Stephen Kinnock has said that the Labour Party will "look carefully" about the introduction of ID cards. The Aberavon MP is his party's spokesperson on immigration.
Speaking to Matt Chorley on Times Radio the MP for Aberavon said that they would be useful for understanding the population in the UK. He said: "I think they should certainly be on the table. It needs to be properly reviewed and discussed. It was something that I think a previous Labour Government got very close to introducing them for various reasons it didn't come off"
Under Tony Blair Labour attempted to introduce ID cards but this became incredibly controversial. The cards being linked to state entitlements and this, along with wider civil liberty concerns, led to significant opposition. Legislation for compulsory ID cards was passed in 2006 but in 2009 Alan Johnson (home secretary)announced they would not be compulsory for UK citizens. The plans were binned in 2010 by the coalition.
