The British government has watered down plans for mandatory digital identification cards, a contentious idea it had touted as a way to help control immigration. Officials confirmed Wednesday that it will no longer be compulsory for citizens and residents to show a digital ID card in order to get a job, ditching a key plank of the policy announced in September.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told the BBC that digital ID would be just one of several ways to prove eligibility to work, alongside other documents such as biometric passports. The government said detailed plans will be set out following a full public consultation launching shortly.
The reversal marks the latest policy U-turn by Prime Minister Keir Starmer's embattled centre-left government. Starmer had said in September: “You will not be able to work in the United Kingdom if you do not have digital ID. It’s as simple as that.” He claimed the plan would help reduce unauthorised immigration and simplify access to public services.
The idea has long been contentious in Britain, which has not had compulsory identity cards for ordinary citizens since shortly after World War II. Civil rights campaigners argue it infringes personal liberty and puts information at risk. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair tried to introduce biometric ID cards two decades ago, but abandoned the plan after strong opposition.
After the latest policy shift, opposition Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said: “Labour’s only consistent policy is retreat.” Liberal Democrat spokeswoman Lisa Smart added that Starmer’s office “must be bulk-ordering motion sickness tablets at this rate to cope with all their U-turns.”
