0
0
The UK government has retreated from plans that would have required workers to enrol in a national digital ID scheme to prove their right to work.
The decision follows a strong public and political backlash to proposals for a free digital ID system covering both British nationals and residents. The scheme was originally presented as part of the government’s strategy to tackle illegal migration.
The policy was first announced last year, when Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told an audience that access to work in the UK would be impossible without a digital ID. “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 said at the time.
Starmer indicated the system would be introduced by 2029. While ministers initially claimed the ID would not be mandatory, it would nevertheless have been required to prove an individual’s right to work.
On Wednesday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed the government’s change of course after officials briefed British media that a single, mandatory digital ID card would no longer be a condition of employment.
However, Reeves stressed that digital verification would still be required in some form. Speaking to the BBC, she said the right to work in the UK would remain dependent on providing digital proof of status.
“We are saying that you will need a mandatory digital ID to be able to work in the UK,” Reeves said. “Now the difference is whether that has to be one piece of ID — a digital ID card — or whether it could be an e-visa or an e-passport. We’re pretty relaxed about what form that takes.”
The digital ID proposal, unveiled by the Labour government in September, sparked fierce opposition from rival parties and sections of the public. Critics argued it risked expanding state surveillance and infringing on civil liberties.
Some opponents — including figures on the far right, went further, promoting unsubstantiated claims that digital IDs could be used to track vaccination records, carbon footprints, or restrict access to travel and food. The government has repeatedly denied these allegations.
While the mandatory digital ID card has now been dropped, the debate over digital verification, privacy, and government oversight is far from over.
