Overview
- Government-issued digital IDs are expected to be optional at launch, with employers able to accept e-passports or e-visas for checks.
- Downing Street says right-to-work verification will be digital and compulsory, with full details to follow the consultation.
- Keir Starmer frames the policy as a tool to curb illegal working, a justification that has drawn sustained political and public criticism.
- A petition nearing three million signatures and opposition from campaigners and rival parties have intensified pressure on the plans.
- Concerns persist over delivery and trust, after MPs were told in November the programme was ‘irrecoverable,’ with reporting pointing to a target rollout around 2029.