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The United Kingdom has walked back plans to make its upcoming digital ID scheme a mandatory requirement for working adults. While the UK government remains “committed to mandatory digital right-to-work checks,” an unspecified government spokesperson told The Times, digital ID will now be optional when the initiative is introduced sometime in 2029.
The national digital ID plans were announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer in September with the aim of cracking down on illegal migrant workers, specifying that digital ID “will be mandatory for right to work checks by the end of the Parliament.” The digital ID will include a person’s name, date of birth, nationality or residency details, and a photo, and will be stored and accessed on smartphones. Policymakers and the UK public expressed privacy and civil rights concerns following the announcement, with a parliamentary petition opposing the introduction of digital ID attracting almost three million signatures.
The U-turn for mandatory requirements was seemingly confirmed by Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, in an interview with the BBC on Wednesday, saying that people would also be able to digitally prove their right to work using other forms of documentation, such as an electronic visa or a passport.
“Currently [such] checks include a hodgepodge of paper-based systems with no record of checks ever taking place. This is open to fraud and abuse,” a government spokesperson told The Times. “We have always been clear that details on the digital ID scheme will be set out following a full public consultation which will launch shortly. Digital ID will make everyday life easier for people, ensuring public services are more personal, joined-up and effective, while also remaining inclusive.”