Digital ID cards branded a ‘gimmick’ and ‘cynical ploy’ to fool voters

Digital ID cards are a “cynical ploy” designed to “fool” voters into thinking something is being done about immigration, Reform UK has claimed.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch also dismissed the plans as a “gimmick that will do nothing to stop the boats”.

Meanwhile, Sir Tony Blair’s think tank said the cards, which will be mandatory by the end of this Parliament, could act as a “gateway to government services”.

The so-called Brit-Cards will allow the verification of a citizen’s right to live and work in the UK, and are expected to be unveiled by the Prime Minister during a speech on Friday.

Sir Keir is due to speak at the Global Progress Action Summit in London alongside Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney.

Anyone starting a new job or looking to rent a home would be required to show the card on a smartphone app, under the proposals.

It would then be checked against a central database of people entitled to live and work in the UK.

It is hoped this would reduce the attraction of working in the UK illegally, including for delivery companies.

But some are not convinced by the proposals, with Nigel Farage’s party branding them “laughable”.

Writing in The Telegraph, Sir Keir said: “This Government will make a new, free of charge, digital ID that will be mandatory for the right to work by the end of this Parliament.”

Earlier this month, the Prime Minister said an ID card system could play an “important part” in stopping illegal migration.

A total of 1,157 people have arrived on small boats in the last week, according to Home Office statistics.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has also previously been positive about the policy.

The Tories have called for “a proper national debate” so arguments for and against the digital ID cards could be heard before the “serious step” is taken.

It is expected the cards will be subject to consultation and require legislation, as first reported by The i Paper.

Mrs Badenoch added: “This is a throwaway conference announcement designed to distract attention from Andy Burnham’s leadership maneuverings and the crisis in Downing Street over the Prime Minister’s chief of staff.

“The Government has struggled to enforce its feeble one-in-one-out deal with France, which has turned into 100-in-one-out national embarrassment.

“Can we really trust it to implement an expensive national programme that will impact all of our lives and put additional burdens on law-abiding people?

“I doubt it.”

A spokesperson for Reform UK said: “This announcement is a cynical ploy to fool voters that something is being done about illegal immigration.

“It’s laughable that those already breaking immigration law will suddenly comply, or that digital IDs will have any impact on illegal work, which thrives on cash-in-hand payments.

“All it will do is impinge further on the freedoms of law-abiding Brits.”

The Liberal Democrats said they would not support mandatory digital ID where people are “forced to turn over their private data just to go about their daily lives”.

Victoria Collins, the party’s technology spokeswoman, said: “People shouldn’t be turned into criminals just because they can’t have a digital ID, or choose not to.

“This will be especially worrying to millions of older people, people living in poverty and disabled people who are more likely to be digitally excluded.”

Those who do not want to carry a digital ID card or do not operate digitally could be given a physical card instead, according to The Telegraph.

Mandatory ID cards have previously only existed during wartime.

Former prime minister Sir Tony made moves to establish a voluntary ID card system during his time in office and has since repeated his call for their introduction.

A spokesperson for the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) said: “Digital ID can and should be a gateway to government services, whether that’s reporting potholes or even voting.”

Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill said: “The British Prime Minister’s proposal for a mandatory digital ID card is ludicrous and ill-thought out.

“This proposal is an attack on the Good Friday Agreement and on the rights of Irish citizens in the North of Ireland.”

The civil liberty group Big Brother Watch also warned against their introduction.

A petition started by the group has reached more than 101,000 signatures.

In a letter to Sir Keir on Wednesday, the group said: “Mandatory digital ID is highly unlikely to achieve the Government’s objective of tackling unauthorised immigration.

“The proposed schemes fundamentally misunderstand the ‘pull factors’ that drive migration to the UK and would do very little to tackle criminal people-smuggling gangs or employers and landlords who operate ‘off the books’.

“Instead, it would push unauthorised migrants further into the shadows, into more precarious work and unsafe housing.”