The Briefing Room - Why don't we have ID cards in the UK?

Download Why don't we have ID cards in the UK?

For years there has been an argument, sometimes loud, sometimes subdued, on whether Britain needs an ID card system. One big reason given for wanting them is simply to know who is here legally. With illegal and irregular migration never far from the headlines these days and with President Macron, during his recent visit describing the “pull factor” of illegal migrants being able to work in Britain, the debate is being resurrected. So, what is the history of ID cards in the UK, what form might they take if we have a system and would they work?

Presenter: David Aaronovitch

Guests:

Jon Agar, author of The Government Machine
Rainer Kattel, Professor of Innovation and Public Governance, UCL
Edgar Whitley, Professor of Information Systems in the Department of Management, LSE
Rachel Coldicutt, technology specialist and executive director of the research consultancy, Careful Industries.

Producers: Caroline Bayley, Kirsteen Knight and Sally Abrahams
Productions co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound engineers: James Beard and Neil Churchill
Editors: Sam Bonham and Bridget Harney

Published on Thursday, 31st July 2025.

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