Digital identity cards will be mandatory for every worker in the UK under new plans announced by the prime minister on Friday.
The card is the Labour government’s latest attempt to crack down on illegal migration, designed to make it harder for people without the right to work to find employment.
Sir Keir said the plans will ensure the country’s “borders are more secure,” explaining: “You will not be able to work in the United Kingdom if you do not have digital ID. It’s as simple as that.”
The government has confirmed it intends to fully roll out the cards before the end of this Parliament in 2029.
It would verify an individual’s work in the UK, similar to the system in use in Estonia, where citizens are given unique identification numbers.
Sir Keir said: “I know working people are worried about the level of illegal migration into this country. A secure border and controlled migration are reasonable demands, and this government is listening and delivering.
“Digital ID is an enormous opportunity for the UK. It will make it tougher to work illegally in this country, making our borders more secure. And it will also offer ordinary citizens countless benefits, like being able to prove your identity to access key services swiftly – rather than hunting around for an old utility bill.”
Similar plans to introduce a ‘Brit card’ were recently laid out by influential think tank Labour Together, previously ran by Downing Street chief of staff Morgan McSweeney.
How would the digital ID work?
The digital ID card would be held on people’s phones, the government has said, similar to the NHS app or contactless payments.
It would be issued free of charge to everyone who has the right to live or work in the UK, whether they are British-born or foreign nationals.
People won’t have to carry their cards on them at all times or be asked to produce them on demand by authorities. However, they will be mandatory to have and show as a means of proving the right to work.
It will contain a person’s name, date of birth, information on their nationality or residency status, and a photo.
The plans are expected to undergo a consultation and would then require legislation to implement. The government says they will consult on whether to include additional information like address on the card.
The digital ID will become “a familiar feature of daily life for everyone in the country”, Labour Together wrote in June, adding that its development would cost between £140m and £400m.
The think tanks explained it would be issued to everyone with the legal right to work and/or rent property in the UK, including those who have:
- British or Irish citizenship
- Indefinite leave to remain
- EU settled (or pre-settled) status
- A valid visa
They add that employers would be required to check the card of anyone they are looking 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.
What would the benefits of the card be?
The main aim of the digital ID is to ensure no one can work in the UK without the right to do so, which is illegal. The government says this will “curb the prospect of work for illegal migrants, a significant factor driving small boat crossings.”
The card would prevent illegal working from happening by requiring employers to check someone has a valid card before hiring them.
Currently, when an employer hires someone, they already have to confirm their right to work in the UK. Legal migrants can do this digitally using an eVisa, while UK and Irish nationals can use a physical passport or several other valid documents.
But many argue that these rules make it relatively easy for a worker to present a document that belongs to someone else, or is fake.
The digital ID would aim to simplify the process, and by making it digital, enforce data sharing with the Home Office to ensure the rules are being followed.
Plans for a digital ID have also long been called for by the Tony Blair Institute. Lord Blunkett, who piloted the Blair government’s initial ID scheme 20 years ago, said: “The introduction of digital identification will have to be truly universal – consolidating a whole range of digital documentation used in everyday life – but it must also have safeguards, which are impossible without an overarching plan.
“A voluntary scheme is a complete waste of time as that is what we have already. But a joined-up approach would allow us to tackle some of the major challenges of the moment.”
However, eight civil liberties groups warned this week that mandatory digital ID risks pushing “unauthorised migrants further into the shadows.”
Big Brother Watch’s interim director, Rebecca Vincent, was among those warning that rolling out a compulsory identification system could be “uniquely harmful to privacy, equality and civil liberties”.
Her organisation has garnered more than 101,000 signatures on a petition, calling on Sir Keir to reject proposals for the Brit card.
