Proposed new ID law draws flak

London: Police and immigration officers will be able to stop anyone in Britain and demand proof of identity under proposed new powers.

Clauses in the draft Immigration and Citizenship Bill give state officials the power to make anyone who has entered the country at any time prove who they are without needing any suspicion of a potential crime.

Civil liberty groups said that the catch-all clauses would effectively cover any British citizen who had ever left the country, even for a holiday, because they would have "entered" Britain on their return.

Refusing to hand over the necessary documents would be a criminal offence with a maximum penalty of almost a year in prison and/or a £5,000 (Dh27,057) fine.

Officers will also be able to hold someone until they meet the requirements and can even demand a medical examination, although that will be more targeted at foreign nationals arriving from countries with high risks of contagious diseases.

Critics said the move would see a return to the system of wartime Britain where citizens had to carry their "papers" with them. They accused the government of bringing in compulsory ID cards by the back door.

Phil Booth, the national co-ordinator of the NO2ID campaign, said: "We have not had any sort of law like this outside of wartime. In practice, it will be impossible to determine who has or has not entered the UK and therefore this applies to anyone in the UK."

The Liberal Democrats' home affairs spokesman, Chris Huhne, added: "This is potentially a catch-all power which would allow the police or the officials to arrest and hold anyone who was unable to prove their own identity.

"The Government has always promised that it would never introduce such a draconian intrusion into our daily lives."

Currently, police or immigration officers can ask for identity if there is reasonable suspicion.

The director of Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti, said: "Sneaking in compulsory identity cards via the back door ... is a cynical escalation of this expensive and intrusive scheme."

New measures in the pipeline

- A new Welfare Reform Bill to improve incentives for people to move from benefits into work.

- New airport security arrangements will be introduced through a policing and crime bill. It aims to improve co-operation between Britain's security agencies.

- Creation of the office of the Chief Coroner, who will put national standards in place and monitor compliance.

- Reuters