ID cards could fix small boats crisis, Blunkett tells Starmer

Ex-home secretary insists scheme would prevent arrivals from disappearing into the sub-economy

LORD BLUNKETT has urged Sir Keir Starmer to bring back ID cards to tackle the small boats crisis – a suggestion that risks reigniting a Labour split on the policy.

The Labour peer floated the idea of compulsory identity documents in 2001, during his time as home secretary, in response to the 9/11 terror attacks. He also hoped the scheme could combat benefit fraud and illegal immigration.

But the introduction of ID cards was delayed by several years of political infighting – only becoming compulsory for foreign nationals in 2008 and voluntary for British people in 2009 – before the coalition government scrapped the cards the following year.

Yesterday, Lord Blunkett waded into Labour’s internal debate about how best to stop the boats by suggesting the identity card system was worthy of fresh consideration by Sir Keir.

He told The Times: “I would reintroduce the idea of ID cards, because what will happen with the Rwanda scheme is [that] organised criminals will tell migrants not to claim asylum.

“They’ll say, ‘We’ll get you across to the UK, then ring this number, we’ll get you a job and accommodation’, and then they’ll disappear into the sub-economy.

“That’s the worst of all worlds and they’ll be exposed to mass exploitation, and then that’ll affect other people by undercutting genuine workers and also involve modern slavery. You can only solve that if you have a proper identity scheme.”

Labour appeared to reject the suggestion put forward by its former home secretary.

A party spokesman told The Telegraph: “There are already ID requirements for foreign citizens living or working in the UK. But the problem is there are no proper checks or enforcement to prevent illegal working and exploitation.

“Labour will set up a new Returns and Enforcement Unit as part of a workable plan to get a grip of the asylum system, improve enforcement and restore order to the border once again.”

Lord Blunkett’s comments came a day after small boat arrivals passed 5,000 by the end of March for the first time.

Labour found itself in turmoil over the issue of ID cards at the end of 2022 after Stephen Kinnock, a shadow immigration minister, claimed an identity scheme was being looked at “very, very carefully” by party chiefs as part of its hopes of stopping the boats.

While Mr Kinnock said the idea should be “on the table”, Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, rejected it just minutes later and said her party would instead bring in stronger enforcement measures around illegal work and people-smuggling gangs.

At the time, party sources pointed to Ms Cooper’s remarks on the issue, suggesting it has no plans to revive the ID card framework.

‘With the Rwanda scheme organised criminals will tell migrants not to claim asylum’