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For years, there's been an argument, sometimes loud, sometimes subdued, and whether Britain

needs an ID card system. One big reason given for wanting one is simply to know who's here

legally. With illegal and

irregular migration never far from the headlines these days and with President Macron during

his recent visit describing the pull factor of illegal migrants being able to work in Britain,

the debate is being resurrected. So what is the history of ID cards in the UK?

What form might they take if we have a system? And would they work? Step into the briefing

room and together we'll find out.

First, let's take a look back at when we did have ID cards in the UK.

I'm joined by John Agar, author of The Government Machine, which discusses the history of identity cards.

John Agar, we've had ID cards before in this country.

Tell us about the first time.

The first time Britain had ID cards was

in the First World War. They were introduced in 1916 and really didn't last very long. They were

introduced basically to answer a question that came up in an argument in cabinet about how many

fighting men there might be in the country. People had to register. They had to register

locally. So there was a local list of who had registered. And ID cards were issued against them.

But they weren't really tied to anything essential. So people basically forgot them. They got

left in pockets and drawers and people very soon forgot they even existed at all. Right. And then what?

When the end of the war, they decided they didn't need them anymore because there was no one

to conscript. That's right. It ended almost as soon as the war ended. So the second time the cards came in,

...