The law change, hidden in the small print of a new criminal justice bill, could make every driver a suspect in a crime, privacy campaigners warn.

The police and the NCA can search the driving licence records with photos of every driver and compare them to any image they want. The plan is not spelt out in the bill or its notes, sparking outrage from experts who say the government is trying to pull a fast one.

Under the rules, Home Secretary James Cleverly will have to set up rules for the searches, but he only has to ask the police what they think.

Prof Peter Fussey, a former independent reviewer of the Met’s use of facial recognition, said there was insufficient oversight of the use of facial recognition systems, with ministers worryingly silent over studies that showed the technology was prone to falsely identifying black and Asian faces.

He said: “This constitutes another example of how facial recognition surveillance is becoming extended without clear limits or independent oversight of its use. The minister highlights how such technologies are useful and convenient. That police find such technologies useful or convenient is insufficient justification to override the legal human rights protections they are also obliged to uphold.”