Rishi Sunak’s surprise call for a UK general election has shelved legislations that Parliament was in the midst of discussing for example, the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill. Cast off the table until parliament resumes after the election, it temporarily spells a standstill for important reusable digital ID provisions whilst all parties launch campaigns for votes.
Pending laws pushed in some cases by campaigners are now uncertain to be passed under Sunak. Only final bills ready to become law will be considered in the ‘wash-up’ period, whilst any unfinished bills could be up to cooperation from other parties to eventually pass.
The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill has been under consideration since another key vote when the UK left the European Union in 2016, marking many departures from trade relations with the EU. One of the lasting impacts was the UK’s exclusion from the EU’s data protection regime.
When government resumes, MPs will continue to progress the bill through Parliament and evolve the UK’s independent data protection framework. The bill will harness data-driven growth for digital ID solutions and maintain high standards around privacy. The regulatory framework will roughly align with the EU’s legislation focusing on online verification without mandatory online IDs being enforced.
