The Conservative party in Britain will scrap Tony Blair’s planned compulsory ID card scheme if it wins the next election, according to a statement by Shadow Home Secretary David Davis.

The Labour Party’s proposed scheme would create a nationwide database of biometric data and personal information, linked to existing databases detailing citizens’ private data. Its estimated cost will be around £10.6-£19.2 billion ($20.9-$37.8 billion), and registration will be compulsory for all citizens over 16 or visitors staying for over three months.

The scheme has met with outrage among many proponents of civil liberties: however, it also has some public support. In March 2003, for example, the scheme was favoured by 61% of the public; this has since fallen to around 50%. While welcomed by many, it’s difficult to see whether or not this move will help or hinder the Conservatives in the next general election.

The announcement is just one part of an attempt by the Conservative party to paint themselves as “the party of civil liberties”; Davis recently compared the Labour party’s 90-day detentions of terrorist suspects to the internment of civilians under Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, for example.

There was also more than a hint of party politics in the announcement, too: Davis was quick to point out the failings of the Labour government under Blair, calling them “a government desperate to clutch at any measure that might make it look robust and competent”.

Labour were quick to respond, with Home Secretary John Reid claiming that the Conservatives “talk tough while acting soft”, and that measures such as the ID scheme would be a “key tool” in Britain’s fight against terrorism. According to Reid, the Conservatives “can’t be trusted with Britain’s safety”.

Regardless of its impact on public opinion, the announcement has once again brought the debate over civil liberties to the forefront of public discourse. With patience for Labour’s War on Terror growing thin, will this be a catalyst for a Conservative government in 2009 or 2010? Only time will tell.