ID cards face axe as Blair majority slashed

The Labour Party's re-election in the UK means that most large public sector IT projects look safe, but controversial plans to introduce ID cards are likely to be axed, according to industry analysts.

As Labour prepares for an unprecedented third term in power, Dr Eric Woods, government practice director at analyst firm Ovum, suggested that most of the government's major IT projects would have continued more or less unaltered even if there had been a change of government.

"One significant casualty of the reduced majority, however, could be the ID card programme. The government may be forced by its reduced majority to adapt its ID card legislation significantly, if not drop it all together," said Dr Woods.

He added that the newly elected government had already outlined priorities around e-government and digital inclusion in its recent Connecting the UK policy document.

Ovum predicts that this plan will set the scene for broader IT investment over the coming years, with the emphasis on IT education, broadening access to digital technology, and the continued transformation of public e-services.

"Also notable is the continued openness to involving the industry in driving the programme forward, including a role for banks and other providers in addressing crucial issues around online identity and authentication," Dr Woods concluded.