Labour considers digital ID cards to curb illegal migration. Labour is exploring a new national, universal digital ID card for every adult in the UK to tackle illegal migration. The ID is being tentatively branded as ‘Britcard’ and could be downloaded onto a smartphone in the shape of a “free verifier app”. Plans for the digital ID were laid out in detail by the think tank Labour Together – the influential think tank that catapulted Starmer to the party leadership and was once run by his now-chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney. The group has touted the plan as a “mandatory, universal, national identity credential” to pursue what it describes as a “progressive migration strategy”. As it stands, Britain is the only country in Europe without a national ID card system – which has been viewed by proponents of the cards as a pull factor that draws more illegal migrants into the UK. In a 30-page report outlining the plan, Labour Together – now led by Jonathan Ashworth, a former shadow cabinet member, who was surprisingly defeated at the General Election – says that the plan would be relatively low-cost for a national project. Report authors said: “The additional cost would be modest relative to other forms of infrastructure – we estimate between £140-400m. Applying internet-era test-and-learn design practices to the development of the BritCard would help to avoid the pitfalls faced by some public sector digital platforms.”
Former PM Sir Tony Blair tried to put in place compulsory national ID cards during Labour’s last stint in government, but plans were shelved by the Cameron-Clegg coalition government that followed. This proposal is part of a broader push for Labour to put itself on the front foot on the thorny political subject of illegal migration, with Reform leading in the polls and following Tories’ 2024 drubbing in part due to a collapse in trust on this issue. EY and the City of London Corporation joined the calls for digital ID with research published in March. According to Labour Together’s polling, the plan has 80 per cent public support, but critics of a digital ID system point to the cybersecurity risks. Jasleen Chaggar, from Big Brother Watch, wrote in City AM in May that Labour’s plans would be a “honeypot for hackers and foreign adversaries who already have a track record of trying to breach government databases”.
