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12 October 2006
The chancellor of the exchequer, Gordon Brown, used a speech yesterday to push the case for ID cards as a counterbalance against all kinds of identity fraud.
Speaking at Chatham House, Mr Brown, widely tipped to succeed Tony Blair as prime minister next year, was setting out the case for the cards as an anti-terrorism measure.
However, he also remarked that illegal financial actions such as fraud and money laundering were major factors in raising funds for terrorists, citing stolen cheque fraud as an example.
Mr Brown said: "Increasingly terrorists are adopting ever more sophisticated methods of identity fraud both to obtain money and to pursue terrorist action," he said.
"There are advantages in a national identity scheme that could not just provide a common, fraud resistant, proof of identity - rather than repeating and relying on an ad hoc mixture of checks on birth certificates, passports, driving licenses, PIN numbers, signatures and passwords," he continued.
He said the most important thing is that they would "protect each citizen's identity and prevent it being forged or stolen".
Yesterday the government announced its estimate for the cost of ID cards was £4.5 billion.
If you have been the victim of a financial scam ensure your credit rating has not been affected. Order your credit report now.
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