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Lords defeats ID Cards Bill
for fourth time A constitutional crisis is looming after peers hardened their opposition to identity cards, throwing out the controversial scheme for the fourth time. MPs will be asked today to overturn the defeat and send the Identity Cards Bill back to the Lords. But with neither side showing any sign of backing off, the trial of strength between the two Houses looks set to intensify. In the latest poll, peers voted by 211 to 175 votes, a majority of 36, to keep the ID-card scheme voluntary until the next decade. The previous margin of defeat was 35 votes. The Government wants all people applying for a new biometric passport to be included on the ID register that will underpin the scheme. Opponents say the plan contradicts Labour's pledge in last year's election manifesto to keep ID cards voluntary in their initial phase. The Home Office counters that it is essential to the success of the scheme. In heated scenes in the Lords, Baroness Scotland
of Asthal, the Home Office minister, accused opposition peers of obstinacy
in refusing to back down to the will of the elected Commons. She said
peers had to give way to MPs because their role was to "question
and test, but not to over-rule". He suggested a compromise under which holders of passports would be added to the register from 2011, enabling the issue to be debated in the next general election. Andy Burnham, a Home Office minister, dismissed the suggestion as unworkable, and said it would add "uncertainty, delay and inefficiency" to the scheme. He insisted that the Government would "stand firm", and said peers were "playing politics with a flagship government Bill". Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, has made
it clear that he is determined to drive the Bill on to the statute book
at the earliest possible opportunity. But ministers are reluctant to
use the Parliament Act - which forces Bills into law where the two Houses
are deadlocked - because it would hold up the ID-card scheme for at
least another year. --------------------------------------------------- Please help our fight against the New World Order by giving a donation. As bandwidth costs increase, the only way we can stay online and expand is with your support. Please consider giving a monthly or one-off donation for whatever you can afford. You can pay securely by either credit card or Paypal. Click here to donate. |
