Bring back ID cards after Brexit to avoid another Windrush scandal, argues think tank

Critics are wary of implications for civil liberties

The UK should consider introducing ID cards after Brexit to avoid another Windrush-style scandal, a think tank has said.

ID cards are nothing new for EU citizens arriving in the UK, all of whom have to apply for registration documentation.

But the think tank Policy Exchange suggested the system should be extended to UK-born citizens. It argues that Brexit marks a natural point at which to reform the UK’s immigration system.

ID cards are a controversial topic, however, with opponents arguing that they infringe civil liberties.

Tony Blair’s government brought in a £5bn ID card scheme in 2006 but it was scrapped by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition just four years later.

David Goodhart, Policy Exchange’s head of demography, immigration and integration, said he believed ID cards were necessary – but acknowledged that people would be wary and said ID cards should be phased in voluntarily.

“We strongly recommend reopening the debate about ID management to reassure people that we know who is in the country, for how long, and what their entitlements are,” said Mr Goodhart.

“A proper national ID system would have prevented the harassment of the Windrush victims,” he added.

Other ideas put forward by Policy Exchange include reducing the cost of citizenship application fees and an amnesty for illegal immigrants who have been in the UK for 10 years or more.

Such policies would de-incentivise illegal immigration, said Mr Goodhart.

He added: “Illegal immigration is not only unfair on legal immigrants who wait their turn in the queue and the employers and businesses who play (and pay) by the rules; it also fosters a twilight world of criminality, dependence and exploitation in which modern slavery flourishes.

“Combating illegal immigration should be overtly linked to minimum wage enforcement, private landlord licensing and action against modern slavery.

“While a general amnesty for the estimated 500,000 illegal residents here would send the wrong signal, some form of regularisation should also be considered for those who have been here for more than 10 years, who are now part of their communities with ties to the UK and often become the focus of grassroots campaigns.”