ID cards Shred Day, two years later

Minister Damian Green shows an ID card hard drive ready to be destroyedOn 11 February 2011, I got on a train to Witham in Essex to witness Home Office minister Damian Green destroying hard drives used for the ID cards’ National Identity Scheme – and took photos including this one. (That’s Mr Green, in the hi-vis vest, tie and black gloves.) The resulting news story is here, along with a gallery. ID cards Shred Day was, at the very least, surreal. Continue reading “ID cards Shred Day, two years later”

Minister destroys national identity register

Damian Green has marked the end of the identity card scheme by feeding its drives into an industrial shredder in Essex

After years of debate, hours of a parliamentary time and millions of pounds, I saw minister Damian Green feeding some of the hard drives behind the ID cards system into an industrial shredder in Essex. It was certainly an unusual press trip – see images below.

All articles on ID cards.


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Government reverses Brown’s passport pledge

The Identity and Passport Service has confirmed that passports will in future require extra information from applicants – their fingerprints

Gordon Brown told the Labour party conference that new passport applications would require no more information than was required at present. The Identity and Passport Service said this was true… except for applicants having to give their fingerprints.

All articles on ID cards here. Continue reading “Government reverses Brown’s passport pledge”

The myths of the fingerprints

If the Conservative Party wants to scrap identity cards, it should also scrap or reduce plans to fingerprint passport applicants, argues SA Mathieson

As the general election neared, Conservative and LibDem opposition to identity cards made their future look doubtful. However, it was harder to see whether a new government would keep fingerprints for passports. In the event, the coalition scrapped them as well as ID cards.

All articles on ID cards. Continue reading “The myths of the fingerprints”

CSC and IBM win ID contracts

The Identity and Passport Service has announced the impending awards of two of the National Identity Scheme’s main contracts to CSC and IBM

This interview showed that the Identity and Passport Service, responsible for delivering the national identity scheme, was carefully planning for a future without ID cards in April 2009. All articles on ID cards here.
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