Identity Cards Bill

The hon. Gentleman cannot have listened to the last paragraph of my speech, that paragraph being my reason for not giving way to him immediately. The simple truth is that this is not a perfect amendment. It is the best that we are going to get out of this Government. We have a poor scheme. [Interruption.] The hon. Gentleman has debated the issue with me throughout the Bill’s passage so far, and he should treat it seriously, as he well understands. In my view, the mitigation will defer some of the worst aspects of the scheme, but it will not solve the problems. I should have liked to have no national identity register even after the next election, but we had no prospect of delivering that, as the hon. Gentleman well knows. His party’s spokesman had a part in it.