UK Plans Compulsory Digital ID for Adults

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to back a government-issued digital ID dubbed the “Brit Card” and is due to set out details in a speech on Friday. The plan would require every adult to carry a digital identity (typically via a smartphone app) to show when starting a new job or renting; it would be checked against a central database and payroll records to verify the right to live and work in the UK. Ministers say it would deter illegal working and reduce pull factors driving Channel crossings, but the proposal is likely to require new legislation and consultation. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and other senior ministers support the plan. Civil-liberties groups, including Big Brother Watch and a coalition of eight organisations, warn a mandatory digital ID risks privacy and surveillance, could enable other checks such as voting, and may push unauthorised migrants further into the shadows.