UK digital ID plan recast as time-saver

"Digital ID will be compulsory for anyone taking a new job after the scheme goes live by the end of this parliamentary session, the prime minister said. It will not, however, be used for surveillance or required for access to other services. "You'll never need ID to go into a hospital or anything like that," he said. "For people who simply don't want it, well, they don't need it - apart from the right to work." This means digital ID will be optional for groups such as retired people, but mandatory for the 30.3 million Britons in payrolled jobs, except those staying with their current employer until retirement."

"Starmer visited a branch of Barclays bank in Brighton to promote the scheme, where he claimed customers were "really excited about it," according to the Brighton Argus. In a statement, the prime minister added: "The digital ID is about putting power back in people's hands, cutting the faff out of rummaging through drawers for documents and pointless bureaucracy we have accepted for too long while bringing Britain into the modern age.""

"The announcement also said the public consultation on the scheme "will launch by the end of the year," a change of language from "later this year" when it was announced on September 26. Separately, the government also confirmed that it was stripping the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) of responsibility for the scheme's policy development, legislation, and oversight, although DSIT will still have to design, build, and deliver it."

The relaunch presents digital ID as a convenience and a tool to tackle illegal working. The scheme will be mandatory for anyone starting a new job once it launches by the end of the parliamentary session, while remaining optional for many other groups such as retirees and those staying with their current employer until retirement. The system will not be used for surveillance or required to access services like hospitals. The public consultation will open by the end of the year. DSIT will be stripped of policy and oversight responsibilities but will still design and deliver the system, with the Cabinet Office leading policy work.

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