UK Mandatory Digital ID: Starmer's Bold Move to Combat Illegal Migration and Transform Employment Verification

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer

British citizens and permanent residents will soon be required to present a mandatory digital identification card to obtain employment, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Friday. This revival of a previously controversial concept aims to demonstrate the government's control over national borders.

The government states this initiative will help reduce unauthorized immigration by creating barriers to underground economic participation. Additionally, it promises to streamline access to healthcare, welfare, childcare, and other public services.

"Our immigration system needs to be fair. That's why we are introducing digital ID — if you don't have it, you can't work here," Starmer emphasized in a recent statement.

"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," Starmer declared while addressing an international gathering of center-left politicians in London. He confirmed the new identification system would be implemented before the next election, scheduled by 2029.

Compulsory identity cards for ordinary British citizens have not existed since shortly after World War II. The concept has remained controversial, with civil liberties advocates arguing it infringes on personal freedom and potentially compromises information security.

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair attempted to introduce biometric ID cards approximately twenty years ago as a counter-terrorism and anti-fraud measure. However, the initiative was abandoned following significant public and parliamentary opposition.

"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," explained Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London.

"It has to be said, however, that 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."

Starmer clarified that individuals would not be required to carry their ID or present it on demand, but it would be mandatory for employment purposes.

While announcing the plans at the Global Progress Action Summit, attended by notable figures including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Spanish leader Pedro Sánchez, Starmer stated, "for too many years it's been too easy for people to come here, slip into the shadow economy and remain here illegally."

"Because, frankly, we've been squeamish about saying things that are clearly true," Starmer continued, adding that "the simple fact that every nation needs to have control over its borders. We do need to know who is in our country."

He emphasized that demonstrating to voters the fairness of the immigration system is crucial to countering the "politics of predatory grievance" promoted by hard-right and far-right parties.

The government has confirmed the digital ID will be free and accessible to those without smartphones, with a public consultation planned to finalize implementation details.

Like previous Conservative administrations, Starmer's Labour government faces challenges in preventing migrants from crossing the English Channel in dangerous, smuggler-operated inflatable boats. Approximately 37,000 people crossed via small boats last year, with over 30,000 making the journey so far this year.

Starmer has committed to reducing these numbers by targeting criminal smuggling networks and diminishing the "pull factors" attracting migrants to the UK, including the perception of easily available undocumented employment opportunities.