ID Cards on Trial: Public loses faith over rising costs

Public support for the government's controversial national ID card bill has dropped dramatically as the full scale of the costs involved begin to emerge, according to a new survey.

An ICM poll of 1,000 UK adults has found support for ID cards is down to 55 per cent, compared to Home Office claims that 80 per cent of the population back the scheme.

When asked if they support ID cards in the light of the government's revised cost of £93 per card, 43 per cent of respondents said the scheme is a bad or very bad idea.

The massive cost of the ID card scheme is one of the key issues at the heart of silicon.com's ID Cards on Trial campaign to put pressure on the government over vague and creeping scope, unproven technology and unrealistic cost and implementation plans for ID cards.

Phil Booth, national co-ordinator of anti-ID group No2ID, which commissioned the survey, said in a statement: "We are unsurprised at this clear evidence of growing public scepticism.

"The government knows from international experience that public support for ID cards falls drastically as people discover more about them, which is why they have been so eager to steamroller the legislation through parliament."