ID cards for airport staff but not compulsory for all

In a speech in London, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said that cards would only be voluntary except for people working in key security areas such as airports.

She insisted ministers remain fully committed to ID cards and the accompanying national identity register, which will contain biometric details and facial scans of all citizens, will be speeded up.

She also claimed that the cost of the scheme, currently estimated at £ 5.4billion, would be reduced by £1billion through cost-cutting, but came under heavy fire from her political opponents for failing to halt the entire project.

The Tories said that despite the retreat on forcing passport applicants to automatically-take a card, the retention of the identity database meant that the "dangerous core" of the scheme remained intact.

The pressure group NO2ID accused ministers of targeting students and young people - who will be among the first Britons offered the cards - in a bid to dupe them before they realised the risks the ID project would bring. Ms Smith said that ID cards and the national database would be vital in tackling terrorism, organised crime and illegal immigration.

She admitted that there would be no vote on making the scheme compulsory before the next election and refused to set a date when cards might become mandatory - but insisted this remained that the Government's objective. She added that the first cards will be issued to students from outside the European economic area from November, while cards would also become mandatory for all "airside" airport workers from next year.

British students will be offered cards from 2010 and in 2011 all new passport applicants will have their biometric details logged on the identity database and be offered the option of either a passport, an ID card or both.

Shadow home secretary David Davis derided Ms Smith's claims that ID cards would combat crime and other problems. "The Government may have removed the highly visible elements, but have still left the dangerous core of this project.

The national identity register, which will contain dozens of personal details of every adult in this country, will be a severe threat to our security and a real target for criminals, hackers and terrorists," he said.