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| Keir Starmer to announce plans for digital ID scheme | Keir Starmer to announce plans for digital ID scheme |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Sir Keir Starmer is expected to announce plans for a compulsory UK-wide digital ID scheme in a speech on Friday. | Sir Keir Starmer is expected to announce plans for a compulsory UK-wide digital ID scheme in a speech on Friday. |
| The prime minister believes it would help crack down on illegal working and modernise the state, according to senior figures in government. | The prime minister believes it would help crack down on illegal working and modernise the state, according to senior figures in government. |
| The practicalities of the scheme will be subject to a consultation, which will also look at how to make it work for those without a smartphone or passport. | The practicalities of the scheme will be subject to a consultation, which will also look at how to make it work for those without a smartphone or passport. |
| The previous Labour government's attempt to introduce ID cards was ultimately blocked by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition. | The previous Labour government's attempt to introduce ID cards was ultimately blocked by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition. |
| But earlier this month, Sir Keir said in an interview he thought the debate had "moved on" since then. | |
| "We all carry a lot more digital ID now than we did 20 years ago, and I think that psychologically, it plays a different part," he added. | |
| Reports have suggested the government plans to use a new scheme to check people's right to live and work in the UK. | |
| These checks are currently based on physical documents, although routes to complete the checks online for some people have existed since 2022. | |
| The government last year rejected a digital ID proposal suggested by former Labour Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair. | |
| But in recent weeks ministers have warmed to the idea, as they have come under increasing pressure to tackle illegal migration. | |
| Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden has also talked about the scheme's potential to improve access to government services. | |
| He recently visited Estonia, where digital identity can be used to access services such as medical records, voting and banking. | |
| Employers already have to check that prospective candidates have the right to work in the UK. | |
| Since 2022, they have been able to carry out checks on passport-holding British and Irish citizens by using digital verification services that have been certified by the government. | |
| A Home Office online scheme also exists to verify the status of some non-British or Irish citizens, whose immigration status is held electronically. | |
| It is understood officials have been looking at whether requiring a digital ID could provide a more consistent approach to verifying identity. | |
| They are also thought to be exploring whether the scheme could reduce the use of fake documents, and make it easier to target enforcement activity. |