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Tony Blair’s flagship identity cards scheme is set to fail and may not be introduced for a generation, according to leaked Whitehall e-mails from the senior officials responsible for the multi-billion-pound project.

The problems are so serious that ministers have been forced to draw up plans for a scaled-down “face-saving�? version to meet their pledge of phasing in the cards from 2008.

However, civil servants say there is no evidence that even this compromise is “remotely feasible�? and accuse ministers of “ignoring reality�? by pressing ahead.

One official warns of a “botched operation�? that could put back the introduction of ID cards for a generation. He added: “I conclude that we are setting ourselves up to fail.�? Another admits he is planning Home Office strategy around the possibility that the scheme could be “canned completely�?.