No Show From Mackay At Crucial ID Cards Vote

11.00.00am GMT Wed 22nd Dec 2004

Lee Glendon expressed his deep surprise today that Andrew Mackay MP did not bother to vote for or against the Government's floored Identity Card Bill on 20th December.

It is clear that the Tories are deeply split over this issue as witnessed by the fact that only 92 Tory MPs voted at all in spite of Michael Howard's commitment to ID cards. This is yet another example of the Tories failing to act as an effective opposition and through a lack of confidence supporting the Government for fear of being outflanked by Labour's tough rhetoric but poor results on law and order - yet again it has been left to the Liberal Democrats to oppose ID cards with a full turnout of our MPs.

It is clear in my mind that the Government is over-promising on what ID cards can deliver: security against terrorism, stopping illegal immigration and benefit fraud. More fundamentally, we are sleepwalking into a society where long cherished freedoms are disappearing without challenge. The Labour Government cannot be allowed to do this without opposition. Only the Liberal Democrats are willing to consistently take up this challenge.