Overview

• The credential will exist only on smartphones with no physical card and will be presented only when proof of identity is required.
• Employers must use the system for right-to-work checks by the end of the current parliament in 2029, and the government says it could later support access to childcare, welfare and tax services.
• Downing Street says the measure will curb illegal employment and criminal networks that sell access to the UK labour market.
• Officials point to tougher enforcement over the past year, including a 50% rise in detentions linked to irregular work and tighter identity checks on food-delivery platforms.
• Conservatives and Reform UK criticized the proposal, Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill called it an attack on the Good Friday Agreement and Irish citizens’ rights, and ministers cite cutting-edge encryption as polling shows only 38% support a digital-only ID.