Identity cards for foreign nationals will be scrapped and a UK immigration cap will be introduced, the new Home Secretary Teresa May announced.
Home Secretary Theresa May said: "We will be scrapping ID cards but also introducing an annual cap on the number of migrants coming into the UK from outside the European union."
Details on the annual UK immigration limit have not yet been announced.
Compulsory ID cards were introduced for foreign nationals in 2008, but both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have opposed them from the beginning, arguing that they are expensive and have done little to tackle organised crime or terrorism.
The process of rescinding ID cards and the accompanying National Identity Register will be announced in the future. The cards remain valid, but Home Office officials said they would advise anyone thinking of applying to wait for further announcements.