"This Government must remember that it is a servant of the people, not the other way round".

Gerard Batten MEP, UK Independence Party spokesman on Home Affairs, today (28th March 2006) reacted with incredulity to statements made by Home Office Minister Andy Burnham on the 'Today Programme' this morning. "For a Government Minister to state that it was "part of being a good citizen, proving who you are day in and day out," was to see the socialist totalitarian mindset of our governors".

[ClickPress, Tue Mar 28 2006] Mr Batten continued: "The minister might regard the British passport as a second class document. The millions of British people who carry them today certainly do not".

"This is a discredited Government which is trying through subterfuge, lies and bullying to introduce some of the most prescriptive legislation that this country has seen in modern times. At a time when his own department are letting people out on parole to commit foul murders, he is planning to make the majority permanent suspects".

Mr Batten continued: "In a free society the law abiding citizen does not need to prove his identity to the state. Maybe the anonymous minister has a problem working out who he is, but the rest of us need no spy in our pockets to reassure us".

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