The absence of the required document will be considered a crime, punishable by 51 weeks' imprisonment or a fine of 5,000 pounds sterling. Currently, the police have the right to demand documents only from persons for whom there are serious grounds for suspicion of breaking the law.
The authorities explain that the aim of the innovation is to increase the effectiveness of the fight against illegal immigration, but lawyers from human rights organizations believe that the new measures will affect not only migrants but also all UK citizens who have ever traveled abroad. If previously document checks were only carried out when crossing the border, then under the proposed bill, citizens who have ever crossed the border but have not obtained identity documents could become criminals.
Since there are currently no internal passports in the UK, identity documents are only issued to those traveling abroad and migrants arriving in the country. A representative of the Home Office explained that the bill does not impose an obligation on citizens to constantly carry documents. He also denied information that, if the new law is passed, all citizens of the country will be required to obtain identity documents.
The opposition Conservatives believe that the developed plan will not contribute to increased security, but will only place the burden of multi-million dollar costs on taxpayers.
As reported by Lenta.ru, during World War II, in order to combat espionage, compulsory identity documents were introduced for all citizens of the UK. In 1952, this order was abolished.