Overview
- TechUK and identity experts caution the scheme is not a silver bullet for illegal working, urging the government to rethink migration-focused messaging.
- Ministers say digital ID would be voluntary for individuals but required to prove right to work, with sanctions aimed at employers and no police powers to demand IDs.
- A UK Parliament petition opposing digital ID has reached roughly 2.8 million signatures, and protest organisers plan a London demonstration on October 18.
- The government says the system will be built in-house with offline routes for people without smartphones, and it will consult on extending eligibility from 16+ to potentially 13+.
- MPs across parties question costs, privacy and inclusion, citing Whitehall IT overruns estimated at £31.8 billion and warning older and low-income people risk exclusion without robust alternatives.