Keir Starmer Faces Furious Backlash Over Plan To Force Every Brit To Have Digital ID Card

Keir Starmer is facing a furious backlash after he unveiled plans to make every British citizen carry a digital ID card.

The prime minister said the so-called “Brit Cards” would be a vital tool in the government’s attempts to tackle illegal immigration as anyone starting a job would need to have one to prove they have the right to live and work in the UK.

Announcing the plan on Friday, Starmer said: “A secure border and controlled migration are reasonable demands, and this government is listening and delivering.

“Digital ID is an enormous opportunity for the UK. It will make it tougher to work illegally in this country, making our borders more secure. And it will also offer ordinary citizens countless benefits, like being able to prove your identity to access key services swiftly - rather than hunting around for an old utility bill.

“We are doing the hard graft to deliver a fairer Britain for those who want to see change, not division.”

But critics from across the political spectrum branded the ID card plan as a “gimmick” which represented a major infringement on people’s civil liberties.

Posting on X, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said he was “firmly opposed” to the policy.

He said: “It will make no difference to illegal immigration, but it will be used to control and penalise the rest of us. The state should never have this much power.”

“There are arguments for and against digital ID, but mandating its use would be a very serious step that requires a proper national debate.

“Instead, this is a throwaway conference announcement designed to distract attention from Andy Burnham’s leadership maneuverings and the crisis in Downing Street over the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff.

“The government has struggled to enforce its feeble one-in-one-out deal with France, which has turned into 100-in-1-out national embarrassment, can we really trust it to implement an expensive national programme that will impact all of our lives and put additional burdens on law abiding people.”