Labour MP Bill Rammell has been accused of breaking a manifesto commitment by voting to make identity cards compulsory for anybody applying for a passport. Lorna Spenceley, Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesperson for Harlow, said:

"Bill Rammell was elected last May on a manifesto pledge to introduce voluntary identity cards. Last night he broke that pledge.

The only way in which people will be able to opt out of the system is by giving up their right to travel abroad.

The Government's ID cards plans are now completely discredited. They will not help to fight crime or terrorism. The terrorists who attacked New York in September 2001, Madrid in March 2004 and London in July 2005 all carried valid identity documents. Nor will they help tackle most illegal working and benefit fraud. Employers in industries with high levels of illegal labour are already required to check identity documents.

But they are a dangerous threat to our liberties. A detailed picture of our daily lives will be created on a huge central register and our personal data will be shared without our consent.

ID cards are an expensive way of achieving very little. The Government should abandon their plans and use the savings to put 10,000 more police on the streets. This will be more effective in tackling crime and the terrorist threat."

The Liberal Democrats have pledged to continue the fight against compulsory ID cards when the Bill returns to the House of Lords.

Labour's 2005 general election manifesto said:

"We will introduce ID cards, including biometric data like fingerprints, backed up by a national register and rolling out initially on a voluntary basis as people renew their passports."