All adults in the UK will require digital ID cards under a new scheme expected to be proposed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday.
The Times reports that Sir Keir is expected to make the announcement in a speech in London tomorrow in a bid to crack down on illegal migration.
Plans to introduce a government-issued ‘Brit card’ would be subject to detailed public consultation, as well as passing muster in Westminster.
Sir Keir is believed to have been initially sceptical about the scheme due to concerns over civil liberties, but is said to have changed his position as the issue of small boats continues to shape public opinion.
Previous plans to bring in government-issued ID cards were mooted by Tony Blair in the early 2000s.
A limited pilot programme saw around 15,000 cards issued before the Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition scrapped the scheme upon entering Downing Street in 2010.
Mr Blair has continued to advocate for digital ID since his retirement from frontline politics.
Mr Blair’s Institute for Global Change backed the reintroduction of an ID card scheme in a paper released on Wednesday.
The report states: “It is time for digital ID. The British public is running out of patience with a state that does not work, where interactions with public services are beset by inconveniences and delays even as outcomes slip and costs rise.
“Citizens are rightly expecting the government to deliver common-sense solutions or make way. Digital ID is one such solution – and there is a massive political upside for those who embrace it.”
Earlier this month, she said: “I think that a system of digital ID can also help with illegal working enforcement of other laws as well. I do think that that has a role to play for dealing with our migration.
“My long-term personal political view has always been in favour of ID cards.”
THE HERALD
