ID cards are expensive and won't work say Lewes Lib Dems

4.39.14pm UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 7th Nov 2005

ID cards will be expensive and pointless

Lewes Liberal Democrats are backing a national campaign to stop Identity Cards in their tracks.

Tony Blair has pledged to push a law through Parliament in the next few months to allow ID cards to be introduced. The Liberal Democrats are leading the campaign to stop the bill being passed. As part of their campaign they have launched a national petition calling for the plans to be scrapped.

'The ID cards will cost billions of pounds and will be a huge waste of money,' says Ann De Vecchi, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Lewes District Council.

'With the largest group of Lib Dem MPs for eighty years, we are leading the opposition to ID cards in Parliament. Now we want the public to back the campaign so that we can show Tony Blair what people really think of his plans to impose ID cards in Britain.'

'ID cards won't stop terrorists but they will cost the taxpayer billions to introduce - and then the Government will force people to pay £85 each to hold one.'

The Lib Dems will be collecting petition signatures on the High Street and Cliffe High Street in Lewes on the morning of 19th November. They have also launched an 'on-line' version of the petition which can be found at www.libdems.org.uk/noidcards or by following the links on www.leweslibdems.org.uk.