The UK government is poised to significantly dilute its controversial plans for a mandatory digital identity system following a massive public outcry, according to reports. This represents a major climbdown for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who had previously championed the scheme.
A Major Policy Retreat
Insiders claim the flagship policy, once intended to be compulsory for proving the right to work by 2029, will now be scaled back. Instead of a single mandatory government-issued digital ID, the revised plan will reportedly allow people to use existing digital documents like electronic visas and passports for verification. This move is seen as a direct response to a petition that garnered nearly three million signatures demanding the scheme be scrapped entirely.
A government source told The Times that stepping back from mandatory use would address a core criticism. "We do not want to risk there being cases of some 65-year-old in a rural area being barred from working because he hasn’t installed the ID," the source stated. Officials were reportedly concerned that the compulsory element was dominating public debate and threatening the project's viability.
Critics Label Scheme 'Doomed to Failure'
The policy retreat has sparked sharp criticism from political opponents and civil liberties groups. Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokeswoman Lisa Smart accused the government of another U-turn, stating: "It was clear right from the start this was a proposal doomed to failure, that would have cost obscene amounts of taxpayers money to deliver absolutely nothing." She called for the billions earmarked for the scheme to be redirected to the NHS and frontline policing.
Silkie Carlo, director of the pressure group Big Brother Watch, went further, telling a parliamentary committee in November that the policy had been so badly managed it was now "irrecoverable". She questioned the government's stated aim of targeting illegal working, asking, "Which begs the question, what is it really about, and what will the other uses be?"
Government Insists Commitment Remains
Despite the apparent softening, Downing Street insists the digital ID project is not being abandoned. A government spokesperson reiterated commitment to mandatory digital right-to-work checks but emphasised that details would follow a full public consultation set to launch shortly.
The spokesperson said: "Digital ID will make everyday life easier for people, ensuring public services are more personal, joined-up, and effective, while also remaining inclusive." Prime Minister Starmer has previously argued that such a system is essential to tackle illegal immigration, stating in September: "You will not be able to work in the UK if you don't have a digital ID, it's as simple as that."
The forthcoming consultation will now be crucial in determining the final shape of a policy that has already sparked one of the largest public rebellions of this parliament.
