UK mandates digital ID to work

The United Kingdom will make digital identity cards mandatory for all workers under plans announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

With immigration now ranking among voters’ top concerns, the Labour government says the initiative aims to combat illegal working while streamlining access to government services.

Speaking at the Global Progressive Action Conference in London recently, the prime minister formally announced the plan, billing it as a solution to migrants illegally working in the UK.

“Let me spell it out, you will not be able to work in the United Kingdom if you do not have digital ID,” the prime minister said.

“It’s as simple as that, because decent, pragmatic, fair-minded people, they want us to tackle the issues that they see around them.”

Available to all citizens and legal residents, the digital ID will replace complex paper-based checks, the government said.

The system promises easier access to services like driving licenses and welfare benefits, with IDs stored on smartphones.

While there’s no requirement to carry or present the ID in daily life, it will become mandatory for employment verification.

Opposition parties including Reform UK, which is leading in opinion polls, have criticized the plan, reported Reuters.

“It’s laughable that those already breaking immigration law will suddenly comply, or that digital IDs will have any impact on illegal work, which thrives on cash-in-hand payments,” said a spokesperson for Reform.

In a statement issued in tandem with the announcement, Starmer said: “A secure border and controlled migration are reasonable demands,” and that “digital ID is an enormous opportunity for the UK”.

As the UK government announced its plans, Switzerland was preparing to hold a vote on Sunday over whether to adopt electronic identity cards, or e-ID.

It is Switzerland’s second nationwide referendum on the issue; in 2021, voters rejected the plan amid privacy concerns and unease about a system largely run by private companies.

The revised proposal would keep the initiative voluntary and under public control, with e ID data stored on users’ smartphones rather than in a central database.

The Swiss initiative has already passed both chambers of parliament, and the federal government is urging people to vote yes to the idea, reported the BBC.

Supporters in Switzerland say an e ID would streamline everyday procedures, from phone contracts to age checks, by moving more tasks online.

Switzerland has a tradition of protecting its citizens’ privacy, and opponents who forced this fresh vote argue the system could weaken that principle, enable tracking, or feed marketing despite tighter safeguards.

Polls suggest the public may now be open to e IDs, helped by experience with the digital COVID certificate, required to enter restaurants and bars.

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Photo/Agencies