London, Sept 26, 2025 — Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to announce a compulsory digital ID scheme for all UK residents, a move he argues will help tackle illegal working and modernise the state.
The proposal, expected in a speech on Friday, would represent one of the most ambitious attempts at identity reform in Britain since Labour’s controversial ID card project was scrapped in 2010 under the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition.
What the Digital ID Would Do
- Provide every UK resident with a state-verified digital identity, linked to a central government database.
- Allow employers to instantly check right-to-work status, replacing reliance on paper documents.
- Potentially expand into public service access, including healthcare, voting, and financial verification — similar to Estonia’s highly regarded e-identity model (more on Estonia’s system).
Officials say the consultation will address accessibility, especially for those without smartphones or passports.
Political Divisions Over Digital Identity
The proposal has triggered a fierce political reaction across the spectrum:
- Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch branded it a “desperate gimmick”, warning that mandatory ID requires “a proper national debate”.
- Reform UK condemned it as a “cynical ploy”, arguing it won’t deter illegal workers but will instead restrict freedoms of ordinary citizens.
- The Liberal Democrats, who previously blocked Labour’s ID cards plan, said they “cannot support” making digital ID compulsory.
- Civil liberties advocates, including the Open Rights Group, warned of risks ranging from system failures to creating a “pre-crime state”.
Even within Labour’s orbit, there is dissent. Former leader Jeremy Corbyn called the scheme “an affront to civil liberties”.
Starmer’s Case for Change
Despite criticism, Starmer insists the digital shift is inevitable:
“We all carry a lot more digital ID now than we did 20 years ago, and psychologically, it plays a different role,” he said earlier this month.
Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden recently toured Estonia, where digital IDs underpin daily life — from banking to healthcare access — and described it as a model Britain could learn from.
The Road Ahead
A formal consultation will shape the details of the rollout. Key questions include:
- How to ensure access for the digitally excluded.
- How to safeguard against data breaches and errors.
- Whether digital ID would remain limited to immigration and employment checks — or expand into wider civil use.
With the Labour Party under pressure to deliver on illegal migration and modernisation promises, Starmer is betting that a digital identity scheme can serve as both policy reform and political signal.
But as critics across parties warn, the balance between security, efficiency, and privacy may determine whether the project succeeds — or becomes another failed attempt at ID reform.
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