News In Focus
29 August 2006
Baroness condemns plans for ID cards
Baroness Helena Kennedy QC has criticised the government's plans for the introduction of ID cards.
Speaking at the Edinburgh International Book Festival yesterday, the Barnoess said the introduction of such cards would change the relationship a citizen had with the state and there was then no way back.
Of particular concern to her was the access the government would then have to a huge amount of personal information, including NHS files, about individuals. She also feared that although the cards were initially being billed as voluntary, they would soon become compulsory.
The Baroness also responded to a question from the event's chair, Muriel Gray, who asked about British Muslims who wished to live under the religious Sharia law. The QC said that it was not part of the UK's legal system and that those wishing to live under it would be better off living abroad.