United Kingdom to require digital IDs for all workers

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday said the United Kingdom would roll out mandatory digital identification cards by the end of the current Parliament’s term—meaning 2029 at the latest. U.K. residents will not be able to work without one, he said in a speech at the Global Progress Action Summit in London. Starmer, who belongs to the ruling Labour Party, characterized the move as one that would help solve problems like illegal immigration.

Individuals won’t be required to carry their ID or show it, except when proving their right to work, the government said in a statement. Eventually, under the plan, people will also use the IDs to apply for driver’s licenses, receive childcare and welfare benefits, and access tax records. Countries like Australia, Estonia, and Denmark have similar programs, the government said.

The British government will launch a public consultation phase on the plan later this year. Parliament will also consider a petition to stop the rollout of digital IDs. The petition had gathered more than 1.4 million signatures by Friday afternoon.

What info will be on the digital IDs? They’ll include a person’s name, date of birth, nationality or residency status, and a photo, according to the British government. They may also include addresses or additional information.

Will the IDs be secure? Digital IDs will be stored directly on a holder’s mobile phone, although the government said it would develop alternate solutions for the elderly and people without phones. If a person’s device is lost or stolen, the ID can be quickly revoked and reissued, and the ID verification processes will be encrypted and secure, it said.

What did opponents of the plan say? Nigel Farage, head of the populist Reform UK party, said digital IDs wouldn’t curb illegal immigration. Similar plans haven’t worked in Germany, he claimed. Instead, the plan is a way for the government to control citizens, Farage argued, and he also raised concerns about data hacking.

Northern Irish politician Michelle O’Neill, vice president of Sinn Féin, called the plan an attack on the rights of Irish people in the region. Many people in Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K., have Irish rather than British passports, according to Reuters.

Dig deeper: Read Carl Trueman’s WORLD Opinions column on euthanasia initiatives in Britain.