Overview

• Prime Minister Keir Starmer reaffirmed that people will need a digital ID to be employed, arguing it will curb illegal working and make borders more secure.
• Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said ministers are exploring extending the system to welfare checks to verify eligibility and tackle benefit fraud.
• Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer said the IDs are expected to store limited information compared with data collected by online cookies.
• Officials describe an app-based credential held in a GOV.UK wallet with biometric protections, with consultations set to define physical or assisted alternatives for those without smartphones.
• Public resistance has grown, with more than two million signatures on a petition and protesters demonstrating outside Labour’s conference in Liverpool.