Overview

• Keir Starmer announced a government-issued digital ID that adults will need to prove their right to work and to rent, with checks tied to a central database.
• The credential is intended to sit in a GOV.UK Wallet app, with non-digital alternatives pledged for people without smartphones.
• The proposal will go to public consultation and then require legislation before any rollout, with costs, scope and timing yet to be confirmed.
• Officials frame the plan as deterring illegal employment linked to Channel crossings, with potential enforcement checks against HMRC payroll data.
• A coalition of civil-liberties groups and opposition figures criticize the move over privacy and digital exclusion, with a petition surpassing 100,000 signatures.