Blair defends ID cards and Blunkett investigation
The Prime Minister has given a robust defence of the Government’s handling of allegations into the conduct of Home Secretary David Blunkett – and of the likely cost of ID cards.
Facing MPs at Prime Minister’s Question Time, Tony Blair rejected suggestions from Charles Kennedy that ID cards had the making of another ‘Government fiasco’.
Mr Blair said that in any event the UK would have to introduce biometric passports, and this would amount to £70 of the overall £85 cost of the scheme. He added that the additional £15 was money well spent and denied that the cost was rising from the original estimations.
He argued that ID cards were not only necessary for security, but also for access to services, saying it is “legitimate and right in this day and age to ask people to carry identity cards”.
MPs in general steered cleared of asking about the allegations surrounding Mr Blunkett, with the only question coming from Michael Howard. He focused firmly on the handling of the investigation, asking why the Government has not followed the recommendation of the Committee on Standards in Public Life and established a permanent conflict of interest watchdog to head such investigations.
He had been pressed by Conservative party leader Michael Howard on the comments of Sir Alistair Graham, chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, who criticised the “ad hoc” way the Home Office had launched the inquiry.
The Prime Minister strongly defended the Government’s decision, stressing that he believed the best approach was to appoint an individual when a query arose. He repeated that Sir Alan Budd, the ex-civil servant appointed was a man of “unimpeachable” integrity. Mr Blair denied that the lack of a permanent body meant investigations would be slow- pointing out this one was announced the day the allegations first appeared in the papers.
