"ID cards absolutely useless" says ex-spy chief Dame Rimington

4.23.02pm GMT Thu 17th Nov 2005

"ID cards absolutely useless" says ex-spy chief Dame Rimington

The former Director of M15 Dame Stella Rimington last night criticised government plans to introduce ID cards, saying no one in the intelligence services favoured the scheme. Speaking at a meeting of college heads in Birmingham Dame Rimington said the cards would not make the country safer and warned that the likelihood of forgery could make them "absolutely useless".

Dame Rimington said "All our other documents are quite easily forgeable and if you have ID cards at great expense and people can go into the back room and forge them then they are going to be absolutely useless."

The Liberal Democrats have led the opposition to the introduction of ID Cards. Last month MPs voted narrowly in favour of the scheme, which is now before the House of Lords.