British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said that identity cards were "an idea whose time has come".
Dismissing claims in an academic report that the cards could cost as much as £300 each, Mr Blair said the additional cost on top of the planned introduction of biometric passports would be less than £30 per person.
Speaking at his monthly press conference in 10 Downing Street, Mr Blair said he was "confident" that Home Secretary Charles Clarke would get his ID cards legislation through Parliament.
MPs will vote on the second reading of the Identity Cards Bill in the Commons on Tuesday, and there have been predictions of a Labour backbench rebellion.
Mr Blair said developed countries including EU states, the United States and Canada were all bringing in biometric passports - which contain details of the holders' identity such as fingerprints, iris patterns and facial scans - within the next few years. This made it an ideal time to introduce hi-tech identity cards at a small additional cost, he said.
"The next few years are going to see effectively a visa and passport revolution across the EU and the developed world," said Mr Blair.
"We have the chance to use this opportunity to get ahead in this change and the move, therefore, to biometric passports makes identity cards an idea whose time has come."
"People recognise the benefits of a scheme that will allow us to tackle identity fraud more effectively, bear down on illegal working, illegal immigration, abuse of our public services and help in the fight against organised crime and terrorism," he said.
"In a time of intense global insecurity, there is now an unstoppable political momentum across the developed world for countries to use the opportunity for new technology to make their borders more secure," Mr Blair added.