British government drops plans for mandatory digital ID to work in UK
Massive public opposition pushed the politicians to oppose the digital ID plan in UK, even if only for now.
BBC informs that the government has dropped plans requiring workers to sign up to a new digital ID system in order to prove their right to work in the UK. Instead, Labour ministers say existing checks, using documents such as biometric passports, will move fully online by 2029.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Sir Keir Starmer was “clueless” and showing “no sense of direction whatsoever”.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle said it showed the need for Labour ministers to better justify the reasons behind new measures.
“What I am concerned about is we get better at explaining our policies, we get better at showing the relevance of it,” he told BBC 2‘s Politics Live.
The reversal is in the latest in a series of U-turns in recent weeks, including on inheritance tax for farmland and business rates for pubs.
When the government first announced the policy plan, it argued that mandatory digital ID for workers would make it easier to clamp down on immigrants working illegally.
The scheme, it is understood, will now deal less narrowly with immigration and the government will instead place more emphasis on the argument that digital ID can be a useful tool for the public when accessing public services.
Nearly three million people have signed a parliamentary petition opposing the introduction of digital IDs.
There has also been nervousness among some Labour MPs over the compulsory aspect of the original proposal.
The Liberal Democrats said the policy was “doomed to failure” from the start and called for “the billions of pounds earmarked for their mandatory digital ID scheme” to be spent “on the NHS and frontline policing instead”.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said in a post on X: “This is a victory for personal liberty against a ghastly, authoritarian government. Reform UK would scrap it altogether.”
Green Party leader Zack Polanski welcomed the news on X, saying: “The government have U-turned on ID cards. Good.”
A government spokesperson said: “We are committed to mandatory digital right to work checks. Digital ID will make everyday life easier for people, ensuring public services are more personal, joined-up, and effective, while also remaining inclusive.”
The details of how digital ID would work have yet to be set out but it is expected to be based on two government-built systems: Gov.uk One Login and Gov.uk Wallet.
Currently more than 12 million people have signed up to One Login, which can be used for services such as applying for a veteran card, cancelling a lost passport or managing a lasting power of attorney.
Gov.uk Wallet has not yet been launched but would allow people to store their digital ID on their smartphones.
In conclusion, the British society still needs to make its voice heard if Britons do not want to be digitally monitored at all times.
yogaesoteric
January 15, 2026