Digital ID cards for all UK adults - what it means and why Keir Starmer changed mind

Keir Starmer is set to announce digital ID cards for all adults in the UK in a bid to tackle illegal migration.

The PM is expected to confirm the move in a speech on Friday.

Theso-called “BritCards”are not billed as compulsory but every adult will need one when trying to get a job or rent a home in the UK, meaning they will be effectively mandatory.

They will allow employers or landlords to verify a citizen's right to live and work in the UK by making it easier for them to check someone’s immigration status.

The digital IDs - which would be stored on smartphones in GOV.UK’s wallet app - would be checked against a central database of people entitled to live and work in the UK. Alternative IDs will be available for those who do not have a smartphone, such as pensioners.

READ MORE: Digital ID cards set to be announced for adults in the UK

It is hoped the ID cards will also open the door to consumer benefits, such as using the ID as proof of age when buying alcohol or proof of identity when collecting deliveries at the Post Office.

Former PM Tony Blair has long called for ID cards, but the Government previously said it was not planning to bring them in.

The move faced some criticism this evening with concerns raised over privacy of data and digital exclusion of the elderly, those in poverty or disabled people. The plan will be subject to consultation and require legislation, with more information on the timeline of ID cards expected to be set out.

The PM is said to have been determined to press ahead with the scheme to show he has convincing plans in place to tackle illegal migration amid Channel crossing numbers continuing to spiral.

Since being elected, the Labour government has increased enforcement on illegal working, including a clamp down on asylum seekers working for delivery giants Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats.

It is hoped that making it easier for employers to check someone’s immigration status, alongside its other measures, will help tackle smuggling gangs who use the promise of jobs to sell places on small boats.

French President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly warned that the UK must reduce "pull factors" for migrants to cross to come to the UK.

Last month, Cabinet minister Pat McFaddensaid the UK was "behind the curve" as he said digital IDs could be applied to support a clampdown on small boat crossings. It came after he visited Estonia to examine the country's use of digital ID cards.

In June, a report on digital ID by think-tank Labour Together - which is closely aligned with the Government - was passed to No10's policy unit.

It said the ID cards would be issued free of charge to everyone with the right to live and work in the UK at estimated set-up costs of between £140million and £400million.

Earlier this month, the Prime Minister said an ID card system could play an "important part" in stopping illegal migration. He said things had "moved on" since the debate over ID cards during the last Labour government in the 2000s.

He had told the BBC: "We all carry a lot more digital ID now than we did 20 years ago, and I think that, psychologically, it plays a different part. For too many years it’s been too easy for people to come here, slip into the shadow economy and remain here illegally.”

A first version of the GOV.UK app was made available to download on smartphones in June. In Autumn, a GOV.UK wallet, which in time will carry a digital version of all government issued documents, will be made available with Veterans’ Cards, followed by a pilot of a digital drivers’ licence later this year. For the first release, the GOV.UK Wallet will be separate from the GOV.UK App but will be integrated into one app over time.

The Tony Blair Institute's Director of Government Innovation, Alexander Iosad, said: “Make no mistake, if the government announces a universal digital ID to help improve our public services, it would be one of the most important steps taken by this or any government to make British citizens’ everyday lives easier and build trust.

“How we experience government could be about to transform, for the better. Not only can Digital ID help us to tackle illegal migration, but done correctly and responsibly, it can open the door to a whole new model of services that come to you when you need them.”

Liberal Democrat tech spokeswoman Victoria Collins said: "Liberal Democrats cannot support a mandatory digital ID where people are forced to turn over their private data just to go about their daily lives. People shouldn’t be turned into criminals just because they can’t have a digital ID, or choose not to.

"This will be especially worrying to millions of older people, people living in poverty and disabled people – who are more likely to be digitally excluded.”

Big Brother Watch has been campaigning against mandatory digital ID, with its petition to reject the plans having gained more that 100,000 signatures. The civil liberties group says the proposal “poses serious risks to privacy, security and equality”.

Its campaign says: “People in marginalised, vulnerable and minority groups are more likely to have reduced access to online services (e.g. people with disabilities, low income or the elderly), particularly where digital identity is a requirement. A centralised digital ID scheme would also be a honeypot for hackers and foreign adversaries, creating huge digital security risks for our data.”

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