All UK citizens will have digital ID but only to prove right to work – Nandy

All UK citizens will have to have a digital ID under new plans but they will only need to show it to prove their right to work, a Cabinet minister has said.

The digital ID will be compulsory for anyone who wants to work in the UK, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said, as she argued the plans would make a “significant dent” in the number of people who are able to work illegally.

But she acknowledged that introducing a new form of ID would not change what penalties businesses face for failing to check whether employees have the right to work.

The Government has confirmed that it will bring in mandatory digital IDs for UK citizens and legal residents to prove their right to work by the end of this Parliament.

People will not be required to carry the ID, which will be held on smartphones, or asked to produce it.

Sir Keir Starmer has called the plans an “enormous opportunity” that will make it tougher for people to work illegally.

It comes as the Prime Minister is expected to warn that relying on migration to plug workforce gaps “is not compassionate left-wing politics” during a speech to the Global Progress Action Summit in London on Friday morning.

Culture Secretary Ms Nandy said all UK citizens will have a digital ID under new plans, but they can choose whether they use it.

“Although all UK citizens will have a digital ID, it will not be mandatory for people to use it. It will be entirely their choice,” she told Sky News.

She referred to debates over identity cards that go back to when Sir Tony Blair was prime minister between 1997 and 2007.

“We’ve debated it ever since. It’s important, of course, that we protect people’s civil liberties, and we have got no intention of pursuing a dystopian mess.

“But I do think for most people, this is a fairly common sense and practical measure.”

Businesses will continue to face the same penalties they currently do for failing to confirm that employees have the right to work.

“Companies already are meant to check on whether people have the right to work in the UK and face penalties for that … they will continue to face those penalties,” Ms Nandy told Times Radio.

She said the change would make a “significant dent” in the number of people who are able to work illegally because current documents can be too easily falsified, in comments to BBC Breakfast.

A national insurance number “won’t be sufficient” in future to prove employment rights, she said.

“So they’re not linked, for example, to photo ID, so you can’t verify that the person in front of you is actually the person whose national insurance number that you’re looking at, and we’ve seen a real rise in the amount of identity theft and people losing documents and then finding that their identity has been stolen.”

The Government hopes the proposed IDs will support efforts to reduce illegal immigration by curbing the ability of those who come to the UK illegally to earn money.

The Prime Minister said: “I know working people are worried about the level of illegal migration into this country. A secure border and controlled migration are reasonable demands, and this Government is listening and delivering.

“Digital ID is an enormous opportunity for the UK. It will make it tougher to work illegally in this country, making our borders more secure.

“And it will also offer ordinary citizens countless benefits, like being able to prove your identity to access key services swiftly – rather than hunting around for an old utility bill.”

Sir Keir admitted Labour has previously shied away from addressing concerns over immigration said it is now “essential” to tackle “every aspect of the problem of illegal immigration” in an article for The Telegraph.

The Prime Minister argued that it is possible to be concerned about immigration while rejecting Reform UK’s “toxic” approach.

“There is no doubt that for years left-wing parties, including my own, did shy away from people’s concerns around illegal immigration,” he wrote.

The plans envisage ID cards being stored on devices in the same way contactless payment cards or the NHS App are.

The digital ID would be the authoritative proof of identity and residency status in the UK and include name, date of birth, and a photo as well as information on nationality and residency status.

How the scheme will work for those those who do not use smartphones will be addressed as part of the consultation process.

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.

Ms Nandy said Labour had changed its mind on the policy after previously ruling it out because it had been looking at ways to tackle illegal immigration after coming into Government.

Reform UK called the plans a “cynical ploy” designed to “fool” voters into thinking something is being done about immigration.

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

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”.

Meanwhile, Sir Tony Blair’s think tank said the IDs could act as a “gateway to Government services”.

The former prime minister made moves to establish a voluntary ID card system during his time in office in the early 2000s and has since repeated his call for their introduction.