Government defeats ID card rebellion

LONDON, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- The British government has avoided a potentially humiliating defeat of controversial legislation creating a national identity card.

An attempt to reject the bill was defeated by 385 votes to 93 Monday, but the substantial rebellion of members of parliament from all parties was nevertheless a significant blow for the bill.

The cards, to be introduced in 2008, would contain biometric data such as fingerprints and iris scans.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke told Parliament the cards would help tackle terrorism, organized crime and illegal immigration, labor and people trafficking. It would also significantly reduce fraudulent benefit claims and misuses of other social services, he said.

But critics say the bill would be extremely costly, do little to reduce crime, and would infringe on individual liberties. The money could be better spent, they say, on security measures such as tightening border controls and providing more police officers.

Simon Davies of the "No2ID" campaign told United Press International that despite the failure of the rebellion, it would still have significant impact as the public was now more aware of the problems with the bill.

Both No2ID and the civil rights group "Liberty" say they will continue to lobby parliament and publicly campaign against the bill.