"My government recognises that we live in a time of global uncertainty with an increased threat from international terrorism and organised crime," said the Queen. "Measures to extend opportunity will be accompanied by legislation to increase security for all."
This translates as the proposed identity card scheme, the creation of a new Serious Organised Crime Agency – previewed as the British equivalent of the FBI – and the strengthening of powers to fight crime and terrorism in the UK and abroad.
The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats condemned the Government for creating a climate of fear.
The Government published its proposals for the national ID card scheme in April, including draft legislation that would allow for a database to be kept containing detailed personal information on cardholders, and which could potentially create an electronic fingerprint of everyone who uses a service, such as the NHS, that requires an ID card check.
It is planned that the scheme will be ready by 2007-2008 although it is unlikely to be made compulsory until 2013, after further legislation has been passed. A new National Identity Scheme Commissioner will oversee the workings of the system.
Experts and civil liberties groups are up in arms over the proposals, which are seen as rushed, over-reaching and a serious attack on human rights.
The Government has indicated that it sees the database that will support the ID card scheme as an information resource which can potentially be applicable in many circumstances. It is unclear at the moment whether the Government has heeded any of the criticisms levelled at it by the Information Commissioner, who has stated:
"We are worried about the information that the national identity register will contain as this seems excessive to that needed to establishing identity and registering someone. The register will also keep a record of whenever it was checked by some one providing a service to individuals. This will mean that an extensive picture of how we live our lives and our movements can be built up and it is intended to make this available to a range of organisations without consent".
In the latest attempt to foster public opposition, demonstrators from anti-ID card group NO2ID yesterday stood outside the Houses of Parliament with bar-codes rubberstamped on their arms.
"The Government's plans for identity cards represent an enormous threat to privacy and liberty in the UK," said Mark Littlewood, NO2ID's national coordinator. "The creation of a national database, which is bound to grow over time, is the moral equivalent of bar-coding the entire population."
"Tough talk and tougher legislation is cheap," said Shami Chakrabarti, Director of human rights group Liberty. "It doesn't make us any safer from crime, terrorism and the other great causes of fear. What it will do is to undermine the very democracy that this Government and its allies across the Atlantic say they want to defend."