No To Mandatory Digital ID

The chaotic announcement by the Government of its plan to introduce mandatory digital ID for citizens in the United Kingdom is symptomatic of the poor policy, planning and communication for which this Government has become known.

My party and I are completely opposed to the imposition of digital ID across all sections of society. It will be a costly and unpopular exercise that offers no clear or predictable solution to the issues it purports to address. This is a blindingly obvious reaction to the rise of Reform and a desire to appear tough on illegal immigration. Yet we need only look to the example of Italy, which has government-issued ID, to see that such measures have not resolved the challenges surrounding immigration there. Instead, the Government should focus on clearing the asylum seeker backlog and ensuring that those who wish to work are able to do so, rather than being left languishing in hotels.

Jess in Parliament

Beyond its ineffectiveness, there are serious concerns about the implications for civil liberties and data protection. These proposals would fundamentally alter the relationship between the state and the citizen, requiring everyone to possess a form of identification and creating the risk that those who do not comply could be criminalised. It would also require deep-seated trust in the Government to store our data, something that is woefully lacking following debacles such as the Afghanistan leaks and the Windrush scandal.

I am very happy to have a conversation about a voluntary scheme that would work in the public interest. When I was knocking on doors during the general election, I spoke to many people who felt locked out of the democratic process, as they did not have a form of physical ID required to vote.

In many ways, we already share vast amounts of personal data with private companies every time we use our phones, shop online or access services. If carefully designed, with robust privacy protections, transparent governance and clear limits on data use, a digital ID system could help make certain interactions with government and public services simpler and more secure.

However, any such system must be voluntary, decentralised and subject to the highest standards of data protection, with clear safeguards against abuse. The case for any digital IDs must also be made openly, with full public consultation and accompanied by independent oversight to protect civil liberties, all of which have been entirely absent from the current process.

I will continue to urge the Government to drop this scheme in its current form and instead prioritise urgent issues that directly affect people’s daily lives fixing the health and care crisis, tackling the sewage scandal and addressing the cost-of-living pressures.

If you also oppose the scheme, please consider signing my party’s petition on the issue, which can be found at www.libdems.org.uk/nodigitalid