Prime Minister Keir Starmer has firmly rejected accusations that a significant adjustment to his government's digital identity plans constitutes another policy U-turn. The controversy erupted after it was revealed that a central, compulsory element of the scheme was being abandoned.
The Core Change: From Single Card to Multiple Options
Late on Tuesday, the government confirmed it was rolling back a key plank of its proposed digital ID system. The original plan would have required individuals to show a specific digital ID document to prove their right to work in the UK. This mandatory element has now been dropped.
Instead, the government will allow people to use other existing forms of digital identification during checks. These could include a passport with a digital chip or an e-visa. While Downing Street characterised the move as a technical tweak, it effectively removes the only compulsory component of the wider digital ID scheme, significantly diluting its initial impact.
'No U-Turn' Insists Starmer as Badenoch Mocks 'Plastic Bag' PM
Challenged on the shift during a broadcast interview on Wednesday, Keir Starmer defended the policy's core intent. He told ITV that the fundamental principle of digital checks remained intact. "You will be checked. Those checks will be digital. And they will be mandatory," the Prime Minister stated.
He emphasised that the overriding goal was to prevent illegal working. "What we're now doing is consulting on exactly what that might look like," he added, dismissing the suggestion of a U-turn.
Earlier, at Prime Minister's Questions, the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, seized on the news to ridicule Starmer. She welcomed what she called his "latest U-turn" and accused his government of having "no sense of direction whatsoever." Badenoch said Starmer was "blowing around like a plastic bag in the wind" and labelled the digital ID policy as "rubbish."
Ministers Downplay Significance, Focus on Biometric Link
Senior Labour figures have sought to minimise the significance of the change. Chancellor Rachel Reeves argued that as long as a digital ID was required, the specific form was less important. She told BBC Breakfast that the government was "pretty relaxed about what form that takes," whether a dedicated card, e-passport, or e-visa.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle provided further clarification on BBC Radio 4's World At One. He stressed the system's ultimate aim was to link an individual's biometric data to their identity for instant government verification of work eligibility.
Kyle indicated that by the time digital-only right-to-work checks are fully implemented in 2029, the digital ID framework would be operational. The government would then clarify which additional documents might be acceptable.
This policy refinement follows other recent government adjustments on inheritance tax for farms and business rates for pubs, contributing to opposition claims of a pattern of indecision.
