UK to roll out digital ID for right to work by 2029

""Digital ID is an enormous opportunity for the UK," said prime minister Keir Starmer."

""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 - rather than hunting around for an old utility bill.""

""There is no silver bullet, but we must enforce every possible measure to deter migrants from entering British waters," he wrote in an op-ed for the Daily Telegraph."

""They won't be required to use it on a daily basis," she said. "This is not like an ID card where you would be asked to show it as you are moving around.""

The UK government will provide digital identities to all legal residents by the end of the current Parliament, potentially August 2029, and will require them to obtain employment. Digital IDs will be held on smartphones and will build on a government digital wallet that includes driving licences. The scheme will include provisions for people who cannot use smartphones, with a public consultation engaging digitally excluded, homeless, and older people. Reported proposals to make digital ID compulsory for renting do not feature in the announcement. Government officials framed the measure as part of efforts to deter illegal work and unauthorised migration.

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