Blair to push for national ID cards

British Prime Minister Tony Blair was expected to capitalize on his election to a third term by pushing for controversial national ID cards in his legislative program to be presented yesterday.

"The proposed legislation will feature prominently when the queen formally begins Labour's third term with her set-piece speech at tomorrow's State Opening," the Times reported yesterday.

By tradition the British monarch presents the government's program to the House of Lords in a session also attended by members of the House of Commons.

"The identity-card scheme will be one of the first tests of party discipline in the new parliament," the newspaper said.

Identity cards are commonplace in most European countries, but they have never been permanently introduced in Britain, where many citizens fear they would compromise their civil rights.

As part of its efforts to fight terrorism Blair's government had been working on legislation to introduce them, but the plan was put on hold before the May 5 election.

Some members of his Labour party rebelled against the initiative last December in a failed attempt to defeat a preliminary identity-card bill.

The Labour rebels were joined by some lawmakers from the opposition Conservatives, who broke with the Tory leadership's official position in support of introducing ID cards.

Citing anonymous officials, the Guardian newspaper said the government was trying to take advantage of the defeat of the Conservatives in the election to "fast-track" the legislation.

"The Cabinet has decided to rush through its controversial identity-cards legislation ... to try to take advantage of the Tories' post-election disarray," the daily said.

"They will push this legislation through while the opposition parties are still in some disarray, we'll see a rush on ID cards, whether or not they soften the edges," it said.

Under the previous legislation secure ID cards -- featuring biometric details such as fingerprints and iris scans -- were to be phased in from 2007 to 2008, as people apply to renew their 10-year British passports, and be mandatory from 2013.

The Guardian also reported that ministers intended to invoke a rarely used parliamentary act to ensure the passage of their law creating a new criminal offense of incitement to religious hatred.

Peers in the unelected House of Lords have rejected the proposal twice in the last four years on grounds of "free speech," but ministers have told Muslim groups that, since it was a pre-election commitment, they would now invoke the Parliament Act to override opposition.

Meanwhile, the Times newspaper said the government has dropped plans for non-jury trials in terrorism cases.

Lord Chancellor Charles Falconer, the secretary of state for constitutional affairs, has rejected other ministers' recommendations for reforms to procedures in terrorism cases, it said.

Former home secretary David Blunkett, now a minister in charge of pensions, had proposed non-jury courts for such trials and a lower burden of proof to secure convictions.

Blair's office would not confirm the plans.