Sir Keir Starmer has said digital IDs will “cut the faff” as he sought to win back public support for the controversial scheme.
The Prime Minister insisted the identification system would never be needed to get into hospital amid concerns about its potential impact on accessing public services, civil liberties and data protection.
The proposed digital IDs announced by Sir Keir last month, to be introduced by 2029, would be mandatory for anyone working in the UK as part of efforts to clamp down on illegal working and therefore curb illegal migration.
But he was keen to stress that “apart from the right to work”, it “won’t be mandatory.”
The Prime Minister told staff at a Barclays branch in Brighton on Thursday that digital ID would “really help” with security for customers after they told him they deal with victims of scams and fraud every day.
He said customers at the bank had told him they were “really excited about it” and had relayed “everyday examples where you can just cut the faff.”
The Labour leader also told the BBC: “You’ll never need ID to get into a hospital or anything like that.
“For people who simply don’t want it, well, they don’t need it, apart from the right to work, because we do need to stop people working illegally in our country to do that.”
Sir Keir Starmer defended the scheme in Essex today
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More than 2.9 million people have signed a petition against the measures and net support for digital ID cards fell from 35 per cent in the early summer to minus 14 per cent after Sir Keir’s September announcement, according to polling by More in Common.
The Prime Minister has given central Government control of the plans.
In a written ministerial statement, he said: “In order to deliver this cross-government priority, the Cabinet Office will have overall responsibility of the new digital identity scheme, including policy development, legislation and strategic oversight.”
It will work alongside other departments including the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, which will be responsible for the technical design, build and delivery.
Sir Keir Starmer has defended the scheme
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In a rare show of unity, Reform UK, the Liberal Democrats, and the Green Party all came out against the plans.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told GB News: “I think the whole thing is appalling. I will not be having Digital ID. Put me in prison; not a problem. I will not be having digital ID and I really mean it.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “It is nonsensical and the Liberal Democrats will fight against it tooth and nail, just as we successfully did against Tony Blair’s ID cards.”
Green MP for Brighton Pavilion Siân Berry said: “Combined with Labour’s alarming new restrictions on the right to protest freely, a mandatory digital ID scheme represents an enormous threat to our civil liberties. MPs from a range of parties share my strong values on fundamental civil liberties.
“The Government should listen to the millions of people who rightly oppose this plan and seriously consider the many dangers it poses to basic rights, particularly for marginalised groups.”
Green MP for Brighton Pavilion and former party leader Siân Berry has called for the scheme to be scrapped
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Sir Keir Starmer said “it won’t be the case” that digital ID could end up being used for surveillance.
“The idea of having ID on your phone is not that far removed from having bank accounts on your phone or any other apps that people have on their phones,” he told the broadcaster.
In a video posted to social media, Sir Keir said that Barclays customers he had spoken to were “really up for it.”
He added: “I think once you understand just how much easier it’ll make life, so many more people will be too.”
Voters expressed concern over the cost and practicality of the scheme, which was first announced by the Prime Minister in September and is set to come into effect by 2029.
They also said they were worried about personal data being stolen, as well as the project being used to “monitor and control people and their behaviour.”
The research was conducted by pollster Lord Ashcroft and consisted of focus groups with voters from cities such as Sheffield, Bradford and Peterborough.
The voters included Labour supporters tempted by Reform, the Greens or the Liberal Democrats, Tories who had switched to Reform and Tories who had voted for Labour in 2024.
Many strongly disputed the Government’s justification for the introduction of digital ID cards, arguing it will do little to clamp down on illegal immigration.
