UK Government announces mandatory digital ID scheme

Following much speculation and media reports, the Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street, has announced plans for a new, mandatory digital identity scheme for every adult in the UK, a measure intended to toughen enforcement against irregular immigration while streamlining government services. The scheme will be available to all UK citizens and legal residents.

The core of the initiative is to make digital ID mandatory for all Right to Work checks by the end of the current Parliament. The government stated that this move will curb the ability of those with no right to be in the country to find employment, thereby removing a key "pull factor" for "illegal migration". The streamlined digital system is expected to drive up compliance, crack down on forged documents, and simplify the process for employers.

The digital ID will be stored on people's phones, similar to contactless payment cards and the NHS App, and will replace complicated identity checks that currently rely on paper records. Beyond immigration checks, the government plans to make the ID useful for applying for vital services such as driving licences, childcare, welfare, and accessing tax records.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the scheme would deliver a more secure border and offer ordinary citizens countless benefits, allowing them to swiftly prove their identity without needing to search for paper documentation. The press release states that there will be no requirement for individuals to carry their ID or be asked to produce it, except as proof of the right to work in the UK.

The scheme's design will address security and data protection concerns, using state-of-the-art encryption and user authentication. The ID will only share the specific information relevant to a given scenario, limiting unnecessary data sharing. Furthermore, digital credentials stored on a user's device can be immediately revoked if the device is lost or stolen. The basic credentials will include name, date of birth, nationality and residency status, along with a photo for biometric security purposes.

The government intends to launch a public consultation later this year to gather a range of views on the service's delivery. 

The design of the ID card will prioritise inclusion, ensuring the scheme works for those without smartphones, such as the homeless and older people. An outreach programme will also be implemented to provide face-to-face support for citizens struggling to access the scheme. The UK's approach will draw on successful aspects of existing digital ID systems implemented in countries such as Denmark, Australia, Estonia, and India, the latter of which has seen significant savings by reducing welfare fraud.

For further details, read the government's explainer.

The announcement has dominated the headlines in the media, with the Guardian maintaining a Live Updates page to keep abreast of all the developments.

In a statement responding to the news, Big Brother Watch Director Silkie Carlo said: "Plans for a mandatory digital ID would make us all reliant on a digital pass to go about our daily lives, turning us into a checkpoint society that is wholly unBritish.

"Digital IDs would do absolutely nothing to deter small boats but would make Britain less free, creating a domestic mass surveillance infrastructure that will likely sprawl from citizenship to benefits, tax, health, possibly even internet data and more. Incredibly sensitive information about each and every one of us would be hoarded by the state and vulnerable to cyber attacks.

"Starmer has no mandate to force the population to carry digital IDs and millions of us will simply not do it. The cost to the public purse will likely run into the billions, much like Blair's failed scheme, but the cost to our freedoms would be even more serious. He is making an enormous mistake and should drop the plans sooner rather than later."

Meanwhile, a statement by Jim Killock, Executive Director at Open Rights Group (ORG), said: "The digital visa schemes that are already in place for migrants are a stark warning of the harms that are caused by data errors, systems failures and an indifferent, hostile Home Office. People have been unable to travel, lost job offers, and even been made homeless because of existing digital ID schemes. 

"Labour are at risk of creating a digital surveillance infrastructure that will change everyone's daily lives and establish a pre-crime state where we constantly have to prove who we are as we go about our daily lives."

Earlier in the week, BBW and six other civil society organisations, including ORG, Liberty and Article 19, wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to scrap plans for a mandatory digital identity system. In an open letter, the campaign groups argue that while the proposal is framed to tackle illegal migration, there is no guarantee a future government would not make digital ID a requirement for a wider range of services.

The letter claims that a mandatory digital ID is "highly unlikely" to curb irregular migration and could instead disproportionately impact digitally excluded, disabled, or elderly individuals. The groups also point out that the Labour Party previously said it was not planning such a scheme. 

An online petition against the proposal has already gathered over 115,000 signatures. 

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