The UK government has announced that digital identification will become a mandatory requirement for anyone seeking employment, a move it says is aimed at curbing illegal migration while modernising access to public services.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveiled the plan during a major address at the Global Progressive Action Conference in London, attended by world leaders including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
He said the new system would “make it tougher to work illegally in this country, making our borders more secure,” while also giving citizens easier access to essential services.
Starmer argued that the UK had been “too easy” on illegal work because past governments were “squeamish” about confronting the issue directly.
“It is not compassionate left-wing politics to rely on labour that exploits foreign workers and undercuts fair wages,” he said. “The simple fact is that every nation needs to have control over its borders. We do need to know who is in our country.”
The prime minister also used the platform to frame the next election as an “open fight” between Labour and Reform UK, acknowledging the growing challenge from Nigel Farage’s party, which despite having only five MPs has consistently led in recent opinion polls.
Reform UK dismissed the plans as a continuation of “the Tory legacy of high taxes and mass immigration.”
The digital ID, which will be stored on mobile phones like contactless payment cards or the NHS app, is expected to contain a person’s name, date of birth, nationality or residency status, and a photo.
Officials said the consultation would explore whether more details, such as addresses, should be included. A public consultation will begin later this year and run for three months, with legislation to follow in early 2026.
The government has pledged that people will not be required to carry the ID on them, but it will become mandatory as proof of the right to work before the end of the current Parliament, likely by 2029.
Chief secretary Darren Jones described the programme as “the bedrock of the modern state” and said it could open the door to reforms in public service delivery.
Starmer added that the new system would replace outdated checks such as utility bills and would make services like driving licenses, welfare and tax records easier to access.
The plan has drawn sharp criticism across the political spectrum. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch argued the scheme would “do nothing to stop the boats” and warned of risks from placing sensitive information “in one database.”
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey pledged to fight it “tooth and nail,” saying it would “add to our tax bills and bureaucracy, whilst doing next to nothing to tackle channel crossings.”
Civil liberties groups have also pushed back. Liberty said the idea raised “huge concerns” about surveillance, while Big Brother Watch warned it would make Britain “less free.” The SNP-led Scottish government voiced outright opposition, saying it was against “the introduction of any card that is compulsory to have, compulsory to carry or that anyone can demand to see, including that of a digital ID.”
Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill called the proposal “ill-thought out” and said it was “an attack on the Good Friday Agreement and on the rights of Irish citizens in the North of Ireland.”
Within Labour ranks, opinions have also been divided. Former Home Secretary David Blunkett said the reforms lacked conviction. “I’m mystified because we are living in an era of conviction, high-profile, shake-the-tree politics, and this looks like a whimper,” he told BBC Radio 4.
Despite the pushback, Starmer insisted the debate had shifted since Tony Blair’s failed attempt to roll out compulsory ID cards two decades ago. “We all carry a lot more digital ID now than we did,” he said, expressing confidence that public attitudes have changed.