purplecthulhu

Thus doesn't seem to be a tax grab but instead reflects the fact that the system is genuinely expensive. Also, I think it will no longer be possible to obtain a UK passport at a foreign consulate (which might make things interesting for people who lose their passports while abroad). I don't think they're trying to discourage people from getting the documents, they just haven't thought through the consequences. In fact, if Blunkett's scheme goes all the way, *everyone* in the UK will have to pay for at least an ID card, whether they want a passport of not.

The costs of passports to everyone will go up substantially, so you'll be caught by this.

I don't understand why Canada would require people with dual citizenship to have an ID card as well as both Canadian and another passport. Seems overkill! Do they have a huge databasing infrastructure behind the ID system? This is the most sinister part of Blunkett's scheme, and the part that will be most expensive and most prone to failure.