He pledged to make ID cards \u201cmandatory for the right to work before the end of this Parliament\u201d. \u201cWe need to know who is in our country,\u201d he said, adding that digital IDs would prevent migrants from being able to come to the UK illegally and being able to \u201cslip into the shadow economy\u201d.<\/p>\n
![\"British](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768345761_782_\/a92579ed-3498-4b5b-a8de-a7457eab2279.jpg\")
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Sir Keir Starmer in September<\/p>\n
TOLGA AKMEN\/EPA<\/p>\n
Before he announced his plans for digital IDs, nearly six in ten voters backed them, with one in four opposed, according to YouGov. Afterwards that dropped to just under four in ten in \u00adfavour, with nearly half opposed.<\/p>\n
There are mounting concerns about the cost and complexity of the scheme<\/a>. The Office for Budget Responsibility has said it could cost as much as \u00a31.8 billion over the next three years. The government has disputed that but refused to provide a figure of its own.<\/p>\n A government source said: \u201cStepping back from mandatory use cases will \u00addeflate one of the main points of \u00adcontention. We do not want to risk there being cases of some 65-year-old in a rural area being barred from \u00adworking because he hasn\u2019t downloaded this app.\u201d<\/p>\n Another government source said that it had never been wise to try to sell the plan on right-to-work checks. \u201cThat does not impact normal people,\u201d they said. \u201cIt always should have been about the convenience.\u201d<\/p>\n Under the plans, anyone starting a job would have been required to \u201cshow\u201d the digital ID, which would be checked against a central database of those \u00adentitled to work in the UK. While right-to-work checks will still be mandatory, they can now take place using other forms of documentation such as an electronic visa or passport. A consultation will explore what other checks could be used.<\/p>\n A government spokesman said: \u201cWe \u00adremain committed to mandatory digital right-to-work checks. Currently [such] checks \u00adinclude a hodgepodge of paper-based systems with no record of checks ever taking place. This is open to fraud and abuse<\/a>. We have always been clear that details on the digital ID scheme will be set out following a full public consultation which will launch shortly. Digital ID will make everyday life easier for people, ensuring public services are more personal, joined-up and effective, while also remaining inclusive.\u201d<\/p>\n Government sources also said that the changes would combat conspiracy theorists who say digital IDs are about state control of people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister who is responsible for the digital ID introduction, said: \u201cI\u2019m confident that this time next year, polling will be in a much better place on Digital ID than it is today.\u201d<\/p>\n Darren Jones<\/p>\n TOBY MELVILLE\/REUTERS<\/p>\n Last week Starmer made Josh Simons, the MP and ex-head of the \u00adLabour Together think tank, the science and technology minister in charge of the scheme<\/a>, \u00adreporting to Jones.<\/p>\n![\"British](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/\/363ec9f9-4a57-480f-9767-4e009ac0ea79.jpg\")
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