By Saskia Koopman

Copyright cityam

Just last week, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans for a new digital ID system, or so-called ‘Brit card’, aimed to provide UK citizens and legal residents with a smartphone-based identity card.

By the end of the current parliament in 2029, digital ID is set to become mandatory for ‘right to work’ checks.

The government says it will streamline access to services like driving licences, childcare, welfare and tax records while combating illegal working, a key factor in small boat crossings to the UK.

The scheme has been designed to store credentials securely on personal devices, much like the NHS app or contactless payments.

It will include the individual’s name, date of birth, nationality or residency status, and a photo used for biometric verification.

Officials have stated that there will be no need to carry the ID physically, and the government has pledged to conduct a public consultation that includes those without smartphones or limited digital skills, such as the homeless or elderly.

Potential benefits

Digital IDs could reduce bureaucratic friction, improve verification for employers and protect against fraud.

Countries like Denmark and Estonia have shown the potential benefits: Danish students are able to automatically retrieve job or educational qualifications, whilst Estonians can access health records and child benefits seamlessly.

Elsewhere, India has reportedly saved around $10bn (£7.43bn) annually through similar, adjacent schemes by reducing welfare fraud.

Supporters have argued the UK system could deliver similar efficiencies while helping employers comply with ‘right to work’ requirements.

The Post Office is even exploring the option of offering digital ID services through its 11,500 branches, thereby extending support to those struggling with digital access.

It also called on the government to “make post offices the trusted place for essential government services, like digital ID or pharmacy prescription collection”.

As Neil Brocklehurst, Post Office chief executive, said: “Like any modern retailer, we must evolve to meet customer demand and sell the products and services which will drive revenue for the postmasters and partners who operate our branch network”.

Meanwhile, tech leaders like Janine Hirt, the chief executive of Innovate Finance, have expressed the potential for innovation and secure data sharing if the system is designed with competition in mind.

Hirt said: “It is vital that the roll-out of digital ID supports a competitive market, underpinned by a trust framework, not via a monopoly or costly State solution”.

Mounting public backlash

Yet, she also recognised that “the decision to mandate Government ID, however, risks the discussion being focused on civil liberty and sovereignty – rather than the utility and innovation this technology can bring to people across the UK”.

And she isn’t alone in thinking so. The scheme has faced intense public scrutiny since its announcement, with over two million people having already signed a petition opposing mandatory digital ID in the last three days.

Concerns are swirling around privacy, mass surveillance and growing cybersecurity threats, with experts warning that centralising personal data creates an irresistible target for hackers.

Professor Alan Woodward from Surrey University cautioned that a national ID database could become a “huge target” for cyber crime, while civil liberties groups have labelled the system a “nationwide honeypot for cyber criminals”.

Civil liberties advocates warn that the system carries a significant risk of “function creep”. As Hirt argued, “a digital ID could provide a useful identity attribute, but if it becomes the de facto scheme, it risks being expanded beyond its original intent into banking, healthcare, housing, or even voting”.

The concern is that once the infrastructure exists, it could be used to track citizens’ movements and interactions more extensively than initially promised.

Critics also argue that digital ID may deepen inequalities, with Jonathan Frost, director of global advisory for EMEA at BioCatch, saying that “Millions of people lack access to smartphones, reliable internet, or digital literacy. Any mandatory digital ID system risks excluding those already vulnerable”.

Labour insists the scheme will improve security and access. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “Digital ID is an enormous opportunity for the UK. It will make it tougher to work illegally in this country, making our borders more secure. And it will also offer ordinary citizens countless benefits, like being able to prove your identity to access key services swiftly”.

However, opponents such as the leader of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch and the Leader of Reform, Nigel Farage, have criticised the scheme.

Badenoch told The Guardian that “a compulsory digital ID hands the state too much power over ordinary people’s lives”, while Farage deemed it “a step toward mass surveillance and digital control”.

Trade unions have also weighed in, with the Workers of England Union warning: “Digital Identification shifts power away from working people and toward centralised authorities, undermining privacy, autonomy, and workplace rights”.

Uncertainties have also been raised within the business community. Notably, SMEs may face extra bureaucracy without guaranteed reductions in fraud or illegal working.

Emma Brooksbank, immigration partner at Freeths, commented: “Digital ID will simply mean that compliant employers need to adapt their processes, and those who choose to ignore the rules and employ people illegally will continue to do so”.

This highlights that determined illegal workers are likely to continue operating in the shadow economy, leaving compliant businesses to shoulder the administrative burden.

Future outlook

Digital ID is part of a broader wave of digital transformation in government and finance.

While it promises convenience, fraud prevention, and streamlined access to services, success depends on careful design, robust security, and inclusive implementation.

As with past initiatives, such as the abandoned gov.uk ‘Verify’ project, there are lessons to be learned from cost overruns, delays, and public distrust.

Ultimately, the ‘Brit Card’ could redefine how the UK verifies identity in the digital era; however, whether it becomes a tool for empowerment or a mechanism of surveillance depends on the government’s execution, public trust, and the implementation of safeguards for privacy.

For citizens, businesses, and civil liberties advocates, the coming years will be crucial in shaping how digital ID is integrated into everyday life.