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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday announced plans to introduce free digital ID for both nationals and those residing in the country in a bid to curb illegal migration.
The government said the drive will also make it simpler to apply for services like driving licences, childcare, and welfare, while streamlining access to tax records.
The new digital ID will be held on people’s phones, and there will be no requirement for individuals to carry their ID or be asked to produce it, said the government.
However, it will be “mandatory as a means of proving your right to work,” a statement said.
“This will stop those with no right to be here from being able to find work, curbing their prospect of earning money, one of the key ‘pull factors’ for people who come to the UK illegally,” it added.
The announcement comes as Labour, the party in government, prepares to hold its annual conference, with Starmer under intense pressure, particularly over immigration.
“Digital ID is an enormous opportunity for the UK… it will also offer ordinary citizens countless benefits,” Starmer said.
“We are doing the hard graft to deliver a fairer Britain for those who want to see change, not division,” he added.
The UK has traditionally resisted the idea of identity cards and does not have a central civilian registry or identification requirements in public.
The Conservative-led government in 2011 repealed legislation by Tony Blair’s government that created voluntary national identity cards and a resident registry database.
Kemi Badenoch, leader of the opposition Conservatives, wrote on X that her party “will oppose any push by this organisation or the government to impose mandatory ID cards on law-abiding citizens.”
“We will not support any system that is mandatory for British people or excludes those of us who choose not to use it from any of the rights of our citizenship,” she added.
A petition demanding that ID cards not be introduced had collected 575,000 signatures early Friday, but recent polling suggests majority support for the move.
At the moment, UK citizens use driving licences, passports, and utility bills as means of identification, depending on the situation.
The government says it “will listen to a range of views on how the service will be delivered” as part of a public consultation to be launched later this year.
It also promised that the scheme will be available for those who aren’t able to use a smartphone.
“The public consultation will engage with groups who aren’t as experienced with the digital world, like the homeless and older people, learning from other countries that have done this well,” said the government statement.
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