UK to reverse course on mandatory use of national digital ID for RTW checks: reports

People in the UK are still getting a national digital ID in 2029, but it will not be mandatory for right-to-work checks, with other options for identity verification remaining legal.

Government sources told both The Times and PoliticsHome that the digital identity project remains ongoing, but its required use to prove eligibility for employment, a measure proposed to reduce illegal immigration, will be scrapped. The about-face by PM Kier Starmer’s government marks the end of a chapter, at least, in the push for a government-developed and -issued digital identity.

Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations Darren Jones told PoliticsHome that removing the requirement will reduce opposition to the plan and help brings its benefits to the fore of the public dialogue.

“I’m confident that this time next year, the polling will be a much better place on digital ID than it is today,” Jones told the publication.

The plan is for right-to-work checks to remain mandatory, but other forms of evidence will be allowed. This is the case with the current system, in which they can be completed with digital credentials certified under the Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (DIATF).

Official government channels were denying any change to the plan for mandatory RTW checks only with the government-issued national digital ID as of the publication of this article.

The details of how Right to Work checks should proceed were among the differences of opinion Association of Digital Verification Professionals (ADVP) Chair David Crack and Tony Blair Institute Director of Government Innovation Alexander Iosad discussed in an episode of the Biometric Update Podcast last month.

Government messaging has already shifted towards emphasizing the improvement digital ID will enable for public service delivery, and government departments remain tasked with finding savings from the use of digital ID to pay for the UK’s new national system.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital identity  |  Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (DIATF)  |  UK  |  UK digital ID