Labour’s digital ID card ambition is ignited to solve pressure points such as illegal migration.
MPs at No 10 are looking at the feasibility of a new “BritCard” smartphone-based ID, which would verify individuals’ right to live and work in the UK and could also be used to access public services, such as healthcare, welfare benefits, and passport applications. Ministers hope the system will send a message of the UK’s hardened approach to tackling immigration and dull the country’s attractiveness to illegal migrants.
Amid the provision of EU digital ID wallets as well, the UK’s digital ID wallet with mobile driver licence is being actively proposed to advance public digital transformation.
Former Labour Prime Minister, Tony Blair has long been a vocal advocate for getting ID cards over the line by the current government to drive efficiencies in public services. His stance is that digital ID stops populist politics falling short on delivering a solution to stop illegal migration – considered a societal “grievance” – with the reliability of this technology. The concerns around civil liberties when ID cards were first proposed by the last Labour government have diminished since the advancement of digital IDs across different settings.
The UK will be instating a ID card system that the rest of Europe has tested for this issue.
Backed by several cabinet ministers, including Technology Secretary Peter Kyle and Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden, Starmer is called to make this a “priority” of his tenureship, to fundamentally transform how British citizens interact with government and reform border enforcement.
The e-ID would have to be physically presented when getting a new job or renting property and automatically be cross-checked against government records of Right to Work. It provides a seamless connection with the government’s digital systems of identity data and removes the need for document checks to be carried out by landlords and employers.
Polling cited in the proposal indicates broad public support, with 80% in favour of digital right-to-work credentials.
