UK Prime Minister Explores India's Aadhaar Model for British Digital ID Implementation

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in Mumbai yesterday, where one of his first meetings was with Nandan Nilekani, Infosys co-founder and former chairman of India's Unique Identification Authority. The meeting centered on Starmer's ambitious plan to implement an Aadhaar-like digital ID system in the United Kingdom.

According to The Guardian, Starmer's spokesperson clarified that the meeting wasn't about establishing a commercial relationship with Infosys, as the UK government intends to develop its own digital identification framework independently.

Despite opposition to digital ID cards having grown significantly in the UK, with all opposition parties expressing resistance to such a scheme, Starmer remains enthusiastic about his proposal. Before departing for Mumbai, he told reporters, "We are going to a country, India, where they've already done ID and made a massive success of it. So one of the meetings I will be having is about ID, in relation to that."

Starmer highlighted the practical benefits of a voluntary ID system, adding, "I don't know how many times the rest of you have had to look in the bottom drawer for three bills when you want to get your kids into school or apply for this or apply for that, it drives me to frustration."

The Prime Minister's spokesperson has noted that the proposed UK system does not currently plan to incorporate biometric data in its digital ID framework.

Last month, Starmer announced that British citizens and permanent residents would require mandatory digital identification cards for employment. He explained this measure would help reduce unauthorized immigration by creating barriers to underground economic activity. Additionally, he suggested the digital ID would simplify access to healthcare, welfare, childcare, and other public services, stating firmly: "You will not be able to work in the United Kingdom if you do not have a digital ID. It's as simple as that."

Britain has not implemented compulsory identity cards for ordinary citizens since World War II. Civil liberty advocates argue that such identification systems infringe on personal freedoms and potentially compromise private information security. Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair previously attempted to introduce biometric ID cards, but the initiative failed due to public and parliamentary opposition.

Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, observed: "There's always been this feeling that Britain is not a so-called 'Papers, please' society, in contrast to continental Europe and other countries where ID cards are very common." However, he acknowledged, "given one is forced in some ways to prove one's ID in myriad circumstances, both in contact with the government and in contact with the private sector in all sorts of ways, that actually a digital ID card would be quite useful."