Public to be consulted over digital IDs as government pushes ahead with controversial plans
The government will launch a "people's panel" to allow the public to have their say over Labour's controversial plans to introduce digital IDs.
The move confirms the government's plan to push ahead with digital IDs, which they say will create a system of "government by app", despite concerns, including among Labour MPs.
Critics of digital ID have previously raised fears over individual privacy and concerns that an app would sideline older and more vulnerable members of society.
While the detail has not yet been announced, it is thought that digital ID cards would be a form of ID, provided free of charge to those entitled to live or work in the UK. They would be stored on smartphones and act as official proof of identity.
The consultation - which ministers are calling a "people's panel" - will bring together a diverse range of people from across the UK, allowing the public to "have their say" about how any digital ID scheme should work.
Participants are set to be asked to consider how much information should be included on a digital ID, and what government services it could collaborate with.
This could include services such as getting a driving license or checking tax codes.
The consultation will also explore age limits around digital ID, after ministers indicated children as young as 13 could be included in the rollout.
Launching the scheme, the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones warned that public services need to "catch up" with those offered by the private sector.
He pointed to online banking as an example of where the private sector is leaving state services behind in terms of delivering a "better customer experience and value for money".
Officials said the prototype of the scheme would show how a wider system of “government by app” would work, with ambitions to make the set-up as easy and secure as online banking.
Separately, the Cabinet Office confirmed that anyone starting a new job will be required to undergo new digital right-to-work checks by the end of the current parliament.
They added that people “will be able” to use the new digital proof of identity for these checks, but they could also choose to use other documents, such as a passport or eVisa if they prefer.
The government had previously said they would introduce mandatory checks of the new forms of digital ID, as part of a crackdown on illegal working and immigration, but u-turned on that decision earlier this year.
ITV News reported previously that the decision was taken in early January, after Keir Starmer judged the argument over ID cards was too much of a distraction from his new focus on bearing down on the cost of living.
Speaking today on the consultation and wider reforms, Jones said his reforms will allow people to "log on and prove who you are to access public services more quickly, easily and securely".
“People too often dread their interactions with public services. Endless telephone calls, complicated printed forms and having to tell your story multiple times to different parts of government.
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“I want to change that and make public services work for you. The new digital ID will make that possible, allowing you to log on and prove who you are to access public services more quickly, easily and securely.
“Supermarkets, banks and shops have all chosen to move their services online because it delivers a better customer experience and value for money, and other countries like Estonia fully digitised public services years ago. We need to catch up."
“We’re launching a public consultation to let you have your say about how we use digital ID to make public services work for you. We want to build a system that works for everyone. Now is your chance.”
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