The United Kingdom is set to introduce a nationwide digital identity program, a move the Labour government describes as a transformative step toward tightening immigration controls and modernizing state services. Announced on Friday by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the initiative will provide every citizen and legal resident with a free government-issued digital ID app, storing details such as name, date of birth, nationality, residency status, and a photograph directly on smartphones.
According to ministers, the digital ID will not be required for everyday life but will serve as a mandatory means of proving the right to work. By removing access to legal employment for undocumented migrants, the government argues it is addressing one of the strongest incentives driving illegal immigration.
Starmer emphasized the dual purpose of the scheme, describing it as both a national security tool and a leap forward in efficiency.
“Digital ID is an enormous opportunity for the UK,” he said. “It will make it tougher to work illegally in this country, making our borders more secure, while also offering ordinary citizens countless benefits.”
Beyond immigration enforcement, officials say the scheme will streamline access to public services, including applications for driving licences, childcare support, welfare benefits, and tax records. The government has positioned the digital ID as part of a broader effort to modernize interactions between the state and the public in a digital-first society.
However, the announcement has reignited longstanding tensions in Britain over national identification systems. Identity cards, first introduced during World War II, were abolished in 1952 and attempts to revive them have repeatedly run into public opposition.
Criticism was swift. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch vowed her party would resist the proposal, writing on X that they would “not support any system that is mandatory for British people or excludes those who choose not to use it.” The Liberal Democrats issued similar concerns, cautioning that mandatory IDs could pressure people to disclose sensitive data “just to go about their daily lives.” Reform UK leader Nigel Farage went further, denouncing the initiative as a “cynical ploy” that would “make no difference to illegal immigration, but, control and penalise the rest of us.”
The proposal mirrors Labour’s earlier efforts under former Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose government attempted to introduce physical ID cards in the 2000s. That plan was ultimately abandoned by Gordon Brown amid civil liberties backlash. This time, however, Labour appears determined to see it through, betting that heightened public concern over immigration will tilt opinion in their favor.
The rollout comes days before Labour’s annual party conference, underscoring its political importance. Already, a petition opposing the scheme has attracted more than 575,000 signatures, highlighting fierce resistance. Yet surveys suggest a majority of Britons now support some form of identification system, reflecting shifting public attitudes in a country where immigration remains a dominant issue in political discourse.
