British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has abandoned plans to make digital identification mandatory for workers in the United Kingdom, backing away from the proposal amid concerns that compulsory IDs would erode public trust.
According to The Times, the socialist Labour Party government will instead pursue a voluntary digital ID system when it is introduced in 2029.
According to Starmer’s government, workers will be allowed to choose whether to verify their right to work digitally or continue using traditional documentation.
A government source told the outlet that the mandatory component had become a distraction.
“The compulsory element was stopping conversation about what digital IDs could be used for generally,” the source said.
The official added that dropping the requirement would ease public concerns and avoid unintended consequences.
“We do not want to risk there being cases of some 65-year-old in a rural area being barred from working because he hasn’t installed the ID,” the source said.
The reversal marks a notable shift from Starmer’s earlier position.
In September, the prime minister said his government would “make a new, free-of-charge digital ID mandatory for the right to work before the end of this Parliament.”
At the time, Starmer argued that digital IDs were necessary to track immigration and prevent illegal employment.
“We need to know who is in our country,” he said, warning that migrants could otherwise “slip into the shadow economy and remain here illegally.”
Under the original plan, anyone starting a new job would have been required to present a digital ID, which would then be automatically checked against a centralized government database to confirm work eligibility.
That requirement has now been scrapped.
While right-to-work checks will remain mandatory, workers will still be allowed to use alternative documentation, including passports and electronic visas.
A government consultation expected to begin within weeks will explore which forms of digital verification may be accepted under the revised framework.
The retreat is the latest in a series of policy reversals from Starmer, who has faced criticism for walking back campaign pledges and previously announced initiatives.
For now, the digital ID system will remain optional.
However, critics note that once the infrastructure is in place, the distinction between voluntary and mandatory could prove temporary.
Yet, one unresolved question lingers:
If the technology exists and the system is built, how long before “optional” becomes compulsory after all?
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