British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Photo / Getty Images
All British citizens could be issued with digital ID cards under plans being considered by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to tackle illegal immigration.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said that ID cards could combat illegal migrants working in the black economy, amid a public backlash over the surge in Channel migrants and asylum hotels, as well as benefit fraud.
The last Labour Government tried to introduce ID cards, with the first issued in 2009, but the scheme was scrapped by the incoming Conservative-led coalition on the basis that it was an “erosion of civil liberties”.
Asked about the possibility of a compulsory card, Starmer’s spokesman said: “We’re willing to look at what works when it comes to tackling illegal migration”.
Official sources confirmed that the Cabinet on Tuesday discussed cracking down on “pull factors” and illegal working, “including exploring options around digital ID”.
Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, indicated the Tories would oppose national ID cards, claiming they would not “stop the boats”.
“Most employers who are employing individuals illegally are doing so knowingly. They are doing so dishonestly,” he said.
“Merely asking those employers to check ID cards rather than the current checks that they are already obliged to do is not going to make a blind bit of difference.”
Jasleen Chaggar, legal officer at Big Brother Watch, said: “Foreign workers are already required to prove their right to work when coming to the UK. Digital ID won’t stop the boats or tackle illegal migration.
“Instead, it would force the rest of us to surrender our privacy and security to access basic services and drive unauthorised migrants further into the shadows towards unsafe housing and off-the-books work.”
Britain is one of the few countries in Europe without a national ID card system, which critics claim has allowed a black market in jobs to flourish, making the UK attractive to illegal migrants. However, it has been opposed by civil liberties groups for infringing on people’s privacy.
France has long complained that the reason for the surge in small boat crossings is because Britain’s black economy has made it a magnet for asylum-seekers.
Despite being barred from working in the UK, many find employment, specifically service industry jobs such as takeaway deliveries.
At the weekend, Pat McFadden, the Cabinet office minister, said that requiring people to produce digital ID could close off work to migrants.
He visited Estonia, which has one of the world’s most advanced ID systems.
“There are applications of digital ID to the immigration system, to the benefit system, to a number of areas which can show that we are interested in proper validation of people’s identity, that the people who exercise rights are the people who are entitled to rights, and good value for money for the taxpayer.”
In Estonia, every citizen is given a unique number which they use to register births, marriages, divorces and deaths, access their bank accounts, vote, book GP appointments, file their tax return and even collect supermarket loyalty points.
The UK already operates an e-visa system which enables UK authorities to check when a migrant has entered the UK and when they should leave, thereby establishing if they should be removed. Some 4.3 million e-visas have so far been issued.
As recently as seven weeks ago, No 10 explicitly ruled out any plans to introduce compulsory ID cards.
However, after a summer dominated by the Government’s handling of the migration crisis, Starmer’s spokesman noted that the debate on digital ID had changed and moved on.
“[Pat McFadden] said people’s expectations had increased and it was important for the Government to meet those expectations,” he said.
The idea has long had backing from senior Labour figures.
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair and David Blunkett, the former home secretary who first put forward the idea, have remained strong advocates of compulsory ID cards as a simple, effective way to tackle illegal migration despite their reforms being scrapped.
In June, Labour Together, a think-tank previously headed by Starmer’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, backed compulsory digital ID for every adult to crack down on illegal migration and provide the public with a “one-stop shop” for Government services such as passports or benefits without the need for further identity checks.
In its report, Labour Together urged Starmer to make digital identity a “top prime ministerial priority” and begin a “fundamental transformation in the way British citizens interact with the government”.
It said its proposed “BritCard” – or digital ID – should be rolled out for right-to-rent and right-to-work checks initially. It estimated it would cost as little as £140 million ($320m) to build, and between £5m and £10m per year to administer.
The app would automatically check a person’s right to work against government records. The system would be able to cross-reference the stored identity against company tax records to identify firms with workers who had not undergone checks.
At present, employers and landlords are expected to verify identity through one of 15 documents, many of which can be easily forged. A typical employer can expect that the Home Office will check their verification processes once every 150 years.
The report cited polling showing that 80% of the public supported the introduction of digital right-to-work credentials.
Almost a third thought it would deter people from coming to the UK illegally to work.
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