Sir Keir Starmer has reportedly scrapped plans for a compulsory digital identity scheme for workers following opposition to the idea from across the political divide.
The prime minister last year said Labour would introduce a digital ID system that would be voluntary in most cases but mandatory for right-to-work checks.
But the plans were thrown into confusion on Tuesday night after The Times reported ministers were rowing back on the compulsory element, allowing other digital documents to be used for right-to-work check.
It brings to at least nine – and by some counts as many as 13 – the number of U-turns Labour have performed since the 2024 general election.
Civil-rights groups as well as Reform UK and the Conservatives had slated the idea of obligatory ID scheme, which the government announced only four months ago to crack down on illegal migration.
In September, the prime minister announced the introduction of the “Brit card” to make it harder for people without the right to work to find employment.
But now a government source says the compulsory element of the scheme had been “stopping conversation about what digital IDs could be used for generally”.
The government has been under pressure to empty migrant hotels and reduce the number of small-boat crossings.
The source told The Times: “Stepping back from mandatory-use cases will deflate one of the main points of contention. 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 digital Brit card, downloaded onto a smartphone, was designed to verify an individual’s right to live and work in the UK, similar to a system in Estonia, where citizens are given unique identification numbers.
Employers would be required to check the card of anyone they wanted to employ, and in doing so would create a record shared with the Home Office. This would enable the department to check that all employers are complying with the rules.
Now, right-to-work checks will still be mandatory, and it’s expected other forms of documentation, such as electronic visas or passports, will be valid.
A consultation due to start within weeks is expected to explore which verification checks could be used.
A government spokesperson said: “We are committed to mandatory digital right-to-work checks. We have always been clear that details on the digital ID scheme will be set out following a full public consultation which will launch shortly.
“Digital ID will make everyday life easier for people, ensuring public services are more personal, joined-up and effective, while also remaining inclusive.”
Conservative shadow Cabinet Office minister Mike Wood said: “While we welcome the scrapping of any mandatory identification, this is yet another humiliating U-turn from the Government.
“Keir Starmer’s spinelessness is becoming a pattern, not an exception.”
Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office Spokesperson Lisa Smart MP said: “No 10 must be bulk-ordering motion-sickness tablets at this rate to cope with all their U-turns.
“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.”
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