The SNP will lead the first parliamentary debate on the UK Government’s proposed digital ID scheme, dubbed the “Brit Card”, in Westminster Hall today.
Pete Wishart MP, the party’s Deputy Westminster Leader, will open the discussion in Parliament, voicing the SNP’s opposition to the Labour Government’s plan to introduce a mandatory digital identity card.
The move follows strong criticism from First Minister John Swinney, who has pledged to use Holyrood’s devolved powers to block the scheme in Scotland.
Speaking to the Daily Record ahead of the debate, Mr Swinney described the policy as “an attack on our liberty and privacy” and said it represented “an attack on our national identity as well”.
He also criticised the cost of the proposed rollout, arguing:
“Spending billions on the scheme is wrong at a time when the money could be spent on supporting people with their cost of living.
“It requires Scotland’s consent, and we will not give that consent in the Scottish Parliament.”
More than three million people have signed a petition opposing the plans, which have not yet been formally introduced as legislation.
Mr Wishart, who was the SNP’s Home Affairs spokesperson when Labour’s previous ID card policy was defeated under Tony Blair, said the party would do “everything in our power” to block the latest proposal.
He said:
“The Labour Party’s ‘Brit Card’ plan is a desperate attempt to distract from their appalling record in government.”
“At a time when the cost of living crisis is hammering hard-pressed households, it is quite frankly appalling to waste billions on this hair-brained scheme.”
Mr Wishart added that the policy was “not only an attack on civil liberties, but an attack on our national identity too.”
The UK Government has yet to set out full details of the scheme or respond to the growing opposition in Scotland.
The SNP say this is just the beginning of a wider campaign against the policy, which they argue reinforces the case for Scottish independence.
