Council says ‘BritCards’ will be ‘hacker’s dream’

Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council will now write to PM Keir Starmer to highlight the local authority’s opposition following a unanimous vote.

An online petition now has almost three million signatures against the Westminster plans and a similar Lagan Valley online petition with the “guts of 5,000”.

Bringing forward the motion, Councillor Andrew Gowan said: “This council believes that such a scheme poses serious risks to personal privacy and creates potential for misuse of citizens’ personal data.

“This council agrees to write to the Prime Minister to communicate this council’s opposition and to urge the Government to drop these proposals.”

The plans by the Labour government to roll out mandatory Digital ID cards is said by the PM as a way to tackle illegal immigration, but the move has faced huge opposition.

The Lagan Valley chamber heard concerns on privacy, personal freedom, security and data risks if the identity card plans were to go ahead despite public opposition.

Mr Gowan added: “Since the PM announced his plans for mandatory digital ID, there has been something of a unique situation, a rare moment in Northern Ireland’s political class, where we have all agreed on something.

“We might not necessarily agree on all of the reasons why we’re against it, but there is unanimous disagreement with the PM’s plan.

“So what would it be like to have everybody’s ID and personal data in one place, it would be a hacker’s dream and if that hack occurred it would be a nightmare for the whole country.

“It would breach the trust of the state and the individual and I think it would breach to a scale we have not seen before.

“I think we now have the guts of about 5,000 people from Lagan Valley who have signed the online petition against the ID cards.

“So, let’s send a united message from the chamber that we value privacy, choice and believe in people’s ID belonging to themselves, the people, not the Government.”

The motion gained cross party support throughout the full council chamber.

Sinn Fein Councillor Gary McCleave said: “Our message is clear, a digital ID card in the North would undermine the Good Friday Agreement.

"I am not a British citizen, never have been and never will be and my identity as an Irish citizen has to be protected under the GFA.”

UUP Councillor Nicholas Trimble said: “To be honest I am not sure what the function of such an ID card would be. There is nothing it brings that there aren’t already checks for.”

SDLP Councillor Pat Catney said: “Northern Ireland has complex identities, movement and governance.

“The truth is that a BritCard won’t fix the actual problems we face.”

Alliance Councillor Claire Kemp added: “This ID proposal has not been properly thought out, not least given sensitivities around the Common Travel Area and the rights of Irish citizens to work anywhere in the UK.

“A digital ID will also create a huge risk for identity theft and the database supporting digital IDs will be a prime target for cyber attacks.”