UK To Roll Out Mandatory Digital Ids To Combat Illegal Work

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) London – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday unveiled plans to roll out a mandatory free-of-charge digital ID scheme to crack down on illegal working, stressing that anyone without such a document would not be able to find employment in the UK.

The scheme will be available to all citizens and legal residents of the UK, with the government claiming it will save time by ending the need for complicated identity checks, which often rely on copies of paper records.

In referencing global benchmarks of similar schemes, Downing Street pointed to India, where it noted how the Aadhaar cards have helped the government save“around 10 billion dollars annually by reducing fraud and leakages in welfare schemes”.

“This government will make a new, free-of-charge digital ID mandatory for the right to work before the end of this Parliament,” Starmer said, in an address at the Global Progress Action Summit in London.

According to his timeline, the new identity documents are expected to be in place by 2029 and will be held on people's smartphones, replicating the UK's National Health Service (NHS) app and contactless mobile payments.

“You will not be allowed to work in the United Kingdom if you do not have digital ID. It's as simple as that,” said Starmer.

Striking a tough note on illegal migration and challenging the divisive politics of far-right groups such as Reform UK, Starmer admitted that the Labour Party had been“squeamish” about tough-talking on immigration.

“For too many years, it's been too easy for people to come here, slip into the shadow economy and remain here illegally. Because frankly, we've been squeamish about saying things that are clearly true,” he said.

“We do need to know who is in our country. Our immigration system does need to be fair if we want to maintain that binding contract that our politics is built on, otherwise it undermines trust, undermines people's faith that we're on their side and their belief that the state can and will work for them,” he added.

The new scheme will select the“best aspects” of the digital identification systems that are already up and running around the world, including India, Australia, Estonia and Denmark.

According to official details, there will be no requirement for individuals to“carry” their ID or be asked to produce it all the time, but they will be compulsory as a means of proving an individual's right to work in the country.

“It will send a clear message that if you come here illegally, you will not be able to work, deterring people from making these dangerous journeys,” Downing Street said.

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