Overview

• Reports indicate the prime minister will signal support in a Friday speech for a universal government-issued digital ID required for every adult.
• People starting jobs or renting homes would have to present the credential for automatic verification against a central record of those entitled to work and live in the UK.
• Officials envisage tracking which right-to-work checks are completed and comparing them with HMRC payroll data to guide enforcement activity.
• The proposal is presented as a tool to deter illegal migration by reducing pull factors, drawing on international examples such as Estonia’s ID system.
• Civil liberties groups including Big Brother Watch and Liberty oppose the move over privacy and exclusion concerns, with a petition surpassing 100,000 signatures.