Overview

• Prime Minister Keir Starmer said people will not be able to work in the UK without a digital ID under the new plan.
• Employers and landlords would be required to verify the credential before hiring or renting, replacing paper checks such as National Insurance numbers.
• The digital ID would live on a smartphone app and include identity and residency details, with proposals for face-to-face support and paper options.
• The government aims to launch the system before the next general election and says it will draw on models used in Estonia, Denmark, Australia and India.
• Resistance has intensified, with civil liberties groups, opposition politicians and more than one million petition signatories challenging the proposal.