Retail bosses have hit out at the home secretary for comparing store loyalty cards with government ID cards.
David Blunkett sparked anger within the British Retail Consortium when he used loyalty cards to illustrate a point that the public should not distrust ID cards because they are a state idea.
He said supermarket cards produced key details about people’s shopping habits but were accepted because they were run by private firms. He said there needed to be more checks on the information the cards collected.
However, a spokesman for the BRC said: “The Home Secretary is comparing apples and pears when he likens ID cards to store loyalty cards.
A voluntary card with no biometric information, which a customer can choose to use or not use in a store, bears no resemblance to a Government-sanctioned card containing such information as fingerprints or an iris scan, which can be requested to be viewed by the police or other authorities.
Our customers are happy with loyalty cards and the benefits that come with them. Retailers always act responsibly and in the interest of their customers with any data collected and details are only ever passed on with agreement from the customer.”
Loyalty Management UK, who run the Nectar loyalty card, accused Blunkett of making inaccurate claims and said it was surprised he had linked loyalty cards with mandatory ID cards.
“He seems to have the point of consumer choice,” said a spokesman.
