Need for ID cards

The Home Office’s mishandling of “paperless” Windrush migrants is a legacy of empire. It highlights once again the difficulty in arriving at a clear distinction between imperial subjects and British citizens.

The introduction of a national identity card would complete the transition from empire to an ordinary nation state. It would also enable Britain to control its borders.

Many will object that an identity card is unbritish, but some such thing will be needed to account for EU migrants who will have the right of permanent residence post-brexit.

YUGO KOVACH Winterborne Houghton, Dorset Readers may disagree with some of the opinions of contributor the Rev Dr John Cameron, but his facts are usually correct. He writes: “Theresa May’s inflexible doctrinaire policy of intimidation requires migrants to provide four pieces of documentation” (Letters, 24 April).

This understates Theresa May’s ‘hostile environment’. To avoid deportation, the Windrush generation were required to provide four pieces of documentation for each year of residency in the UK since January 1, 1973.

DAVID MUIR Findhorn Place, Edinburgh