The UK is preparing to roll out a national scheme of digital IDs. But not everyone is happy

The UK’s two million veterans can now download a digital ID card. The initiative is a pilot that will pave the way for the roll-out of a national scheme by 2029.

So what? Keir Starmer has made introducing digital IDs one of his main priorities. He hopes they will curb illegal migration, while also streamlining government services. The cards

• will bring the UK in line with Europe;
• will be mandatory for anyone who wants to work in the UK; but
• have sparked a backlash from people concerned about surveillance.

Old idea. The UK introduced IDs in 1939 to regulate wartime rationing and collect population data before ending them in 1953. John Major’s government consulted on them in 1995 and New Labour introduced plans for a biometric card in 2006, but David Cameron scrapped it following criticism from civil rights campaigners.

Stopping the boats. With small boat crossings at a record high, the main reason digital IDs are being introduced is immigration. Starmer says they will improve labour checks and prevent unscrupulous businesses from employing illegal migrants.

Government 2.0. But the government claims they will also make life easier. People will be able to quickly prove their identity when opening bank accounts or renting properties without having to dig out bank statements or national insurance numbers stashed away in drawers.

How it will work. The IDs will be on smartphones, similar to the NHS app. Carrying one will not be compulsory. Nor will having one. But making them a job requirement means the IDs will be effectively mandatory for everyone except pensioners, children and those unable to work.

Outlier. Almost every country in the EU already has national ID cards. These are mostly physical, although the bloc is planning to roll out a digital version by the end of 2026. Labour is modelling them on existing schemes in India, Estonia and Australia.

Case study. India’s digital ID system is the largest in the world, with 1.3 billion users. It gives each citizen a unique 12-digit number, used for everything from claiming benefits and accessing healthcare to booking training tickets. It has eliminated several layers of paper-based bureaucracy and reduced fraud, resulting in efficiency savings.

Digital dividend. Although the British system will be less far-reaching, the UK will reap similar benefits. The Tony Blair Institute thinks IDs will save £2 billion a year, mostly by reducing benefit fraud. It’s less clear whether they will achieve their main objective: tackling illegal migration.

Across the channel. French president Emmanuel Macron has claimed the absence of ID cards is a “pull factor” for migrants trying to reach British shores, on the basis that their absence makes it easier to work and access benefits illegally in the UK than in Europe.

But employers are already supposed to check someone’s right to work before hiring them. There is no reason rogue bosses will start doing this after the introduction of digital IDs, even if they can’t be forged or borrowed like national insurance numbers.

Bottom line. A report by Labour Together, a Starmerite think tank, is the blueprint for the policy. It believes the IDs could cost as little as £140 million. This seems optimistic. The Association of Digital Verification Providers estimates they will cost more than £2 billion, although this figure is low relative to the savings it is expected to deliver.

The critics. Civil rights group Liberty fears the IDs could be used track citizens, painting them a step towards authoritarianism and calling for strong safeguards. It is also concerned that they could exclude the 2.1 million Britons who do not use the internet. Others have raised fears about hacks, and nearly 3 million people have signed a petition against the idea.

What’s more… The problem here may not be digital IDs but Starmer. Net support for the cards fell from 35 per cent to -14 per cent when the prime minister announced them.