http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,11026,1643987,00.html

Former MI5 chief Stella Rimington

From the page: “Identity cards would not make Britain a safer place and nobody in the secret intelligence services supports their introduction, according to the former head of MI5.

Asked at a further education conference whether she thought ID cards would make the country safer, Dame Stella Rimington replied: “No is the very simple answer, although ID cards have possibly some purpose.

“But I don’t think anybody in the intelligence services – not in my former service – will be pressing for ID cards.””