ID cards boost as 80% are in favour

Government plans to introduce identity cards received a fresh boost today with a new opinion poll showing 80 per cent of the public back the idea.

The MORI poll also shows that the voters strongly believe that ID cards will help to curb identity theft and benefit fraud.

But the survey, conducted for IT firm Detica, also shows that people have little confidence in the ability of Whitehall to introduce-the project smoothly and efficiently. The Home Office will publish next Monday a draft Bill outlining details of its plans for the first time.

Tony Blair will accompany the Bill's publication with a speech espousing the virtues of managed migration in a bid to underlinehis "tough but fair" message on border controls.

Some 80 per cent of those polled said they strongly or moderately supported David Blunkett's proposals to start issuing cards from 2007 as people renew their passports.

Only 11 per cent either strongly or moderately opposed the idea of ID cards, while more than three-quarters believed that one of the main benefits would be to stop goods being bought fraudulently in their name. Similar numbers thought that it would curb benefit fraud.

The figures will be warmly welcomed by the Home Secretary and Mr Blair, who believe Britain should be brought into line with other countries with such schemes.

But some Cabinet ministers fear ID cards could infringe civil liberties.