Overview

• About 50 MPs attended a briefing led by technology minister Ian Murray and Cabinet Office minister Josh Simons as ministers sought feedback on the scheme’s design and uses.
• Ministers told MPs the system would be built within the public sector using a federated architecture, police would not be able to demand the ID, and NHS data would not be stored on it.
• No 10 is scheduling two or three themed roundtables each week, with political director Amy Richards leading outreach to sceptical MPs and external groups to shape the consultation.
• Costs remain unresolved, with MPs saying no estimate was provided and describing the Labour Together ‘BritCard’ £150m figure as unrealistically low.
• The initial focus is mandatory right-to-work checks, with ministers touting benefits like tackling illegal employment as internal estimates warn roughly 50 MPs could rebel and civil liberties groups continue to oppose the plan.