Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to unveil plans for a compulsory digital ID scheme covering the whole of the UK, in a move that will reignite one of the most contentious debates in British politics.
The prime minister is expected to use a speech on Friday to argue the scheme would help clamp down on illegal working while modernising how people deal with government services.
Echoes of Past Battles
Labour’s last attempt to introduce ID cards, under Tony Blair, collapsed in the face of fierce opposition and was scrapped by the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition in 2010.
Starmer, however, believes attitudes have shifted. In a recent interview he said: “We all carry a lot more digital ID now than we did 20 years ago. Psychologically, it plays a different part.”
What Might Be Proposed
The plan is expected to link people’s identity to a central database, with employers and public bodies checking rights to live and work in the UK through a digital system rather than paper documents.
A consultation will look at how the scheme could work for those without smartphones or passports. Ministers are also said to be exploring whether it could give quicker access to services such as healthcare and benefits.
Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden has pointed to Estonia’s long-running digital ID system, which is used for banking, voting and medical records, as an example of what could be achieved.
Political and Public Resistance
Opposition has come quickly. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the idea was a “desperate gimmick” and warned any compulsory scheme would need a full national debate. Reform UK dismissed it as a “cynical ploy” to look tough on immigration, while the Liberal Democrats, who blocked Blair’s original scheme, said they could not support it.
Jeremy Corbyn, preparing to launch a new left-wing party, called the plan “an affront to our civil liberties”.
Civil Liberties Concerns
Campaigners have raised fears of surveillance and data failures. The Open Rights Group said the government risked creating a “pre-crime state where we constantly have to prove who we are just to go about our daily lives”.
Recent problems with the rollout of online-only eVisas for foreign residents have underlined those concerns, with errors and outages leaving some people unable to prove their immigration status.
The Road Ahead
Starmer’s team insist a digital ID is central to tackling illegal working and bringing government systems into the modern era. But with scepticism across the political spectrum and deep public unease, it looks set to be one of the most divisive announcements of his premiership so far.
