By John Lamont MP
I recently spoke in the House of Commons about my serious concerns regarding Labour's plans to introduce a national digital ID scheme.
Nearly three million people across the United Kingdom have signed a petition opposing the plans, including more than 4,000 residents of the Scottish Borders.
To give you an idea of how substantial this number is, it is approaching a similar number of signatures that my campaign to keep community hospitals in the Borders open received. That is how strongly people feel about this digital ID scheme.
So many people are opposed to this flawed proposal because it is a crystal clear example of state overreach that strikes at our fundamental right to privacy. It is a blatant infringement on individual freedom.
The state already collects enough data on citizens for passports and other documents. Most employers will already check their workers ID before going on to hire them. There is no need to intrude more on people's private lives.
The other justification for introducing this scheme, according to Sir Keir Starmer, is to reduce illegal immigration. But nothing in this scheme will stop small boats crossing the Channel, prevent criminal gangs from smuggling people into the country, or tackle the systemic problems in our immigration system.
In fact, all this plan will do is waste millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money without achieving what the government claims. Instead of pushing ahead with an ineffective and intrusive proposal that the public are against, the government should focus on serious solutions to stop illegal immigration.
I have also recently raised the issue of grooming gangs in the UK Parliament. These gangs preyed on vulnerable young children, including some people here in the Borders. I have spoken with local survivors and listened to some of the horrors they have had to endure.
As it stands, the UK inquiry on grooming gangs won't include Scotland, which is ridiculous when there is mounting evidence that these vile criminals operated just as much here as south of the border.
The UK Government must extend the inquiry to include Scotland, but that's not enough.
The Scottish Government must also launch a specific inquiry for this country. So far, they have only agreed to a small-scale 'review', which won't get the answers that victims deserve.
Survivors of abuse have already been failed by the state. That cannot be allowed to happen again.
