Firm backing behind digital ID cards has come from two former prominent members in British politics, Sir Tony Blair, who founded since his premiership founded the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, and Lord Hague, former Leader of the Conservative Party.
They voiced their support for digital ID cards as the next frontier for ‘technological revolution’.
Speaking on the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Lord Hague stated that the UK must be “one of the leaders” in AI and the technology revolution and “redesign” the state and national identification and operations around technologies, as other countries forge ahead with advancing their own digital economies.
The prominence of technology is changing how society functions, which should inspire a program for government that gets onboard with digital transformation and assembles a new national purpose with ID cards throughout changes of government parties and leaders to focus on the same ambition.
Tony Blair’s comments may seem juxtaposed with his time in Number 10 when Blair passed laws for mandatory ID cards that were later scrapped by the coalition government.
The new ID card would incorporate digital credentials such as a passport, driving licence, career records and right to work status.
Since its inception, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change has convened meetings on digital identity and provided recommendations for policymakers building digital ID systems.
The former political opponents warned that politicians in the 20th century overlook the need for digital revolution in a new era for concerns around “tax and spending policy”.
