I lived in South London at the time and sent a letter to my MP to protest about the creation of a database state and increased surveillance, fundamentally changing the nature of the relationship between the citizen and the state.
About two months later I got a form response that started "Don't worry, it's not just an ID card, there will be a huge database behind it!"
Thanks. Way to show you didn't even read what I wrote.
I think in the intervening years that relationship has already fundamentally changed though. Privacy from government in most western countries seems to be something of a fading memory, it would be hard to make those same arguments in 2025.