CITIZENS should be forced to have national identity cards, says MP David Chaytor.

He is strongly in favour of Home Secretary David Blunkett's plan to introduce ID cards, which he says will help fight crime and illegal immigration.

The Labour MP dismissed as "completely off the wall" fears that cards would lead to a "Big Brother" state, or people being stopped in the street when out shopping. Mr Chaytor said the only controversial issue was how the scheme should be paid for: he was not in favour of charging individuals £30 for the privilege.

"Most people already have a passport, driving licence and car insurance document, not to mention bank and credit cards," he added. "The real question is: can a foolproof and fraud-proof system be devised at an acceptable cost that brings all relevant information together on one piece of plastic?"

The Bury North MP said he would be happy to have people's fingerprints and iris scans on such cards. And it should be compulsory for people to have them, even if they do not have to carry them everywhere they go. Mr Chaytor said the "pendulum had swung" in the last 20 years and he thought that a significant number of people were now in favour of ID cards. But there was still much to thrash out. "A balance needs to be struck between the benefits of verifying identity and the extent to which people's privacy is protected," he said.

Mr Chaytor said he hoped that Mr Blunkett's proposals would be included in this year's Queen's Speech.