Last Autumn, the Prime Minister announced a new flagship policy: mandatory national digital ID. I share your sincere concerns about this ridiculous policy, which was a purely cynical gimmick to distract from the Government’s scandals and disastrous efforts to counter illegal immigration. I noted, as did many of my constituents, this highly significant measure was not contained in the Labour Government's manifesto at the last election but, as I wrote in my last statement,
‘should we be surprised? It has not stopped them from pursuing their ideological goals and attempting to reorder society according to their statist beliefs, regardless of whether or not they were voted for by the public.’
Mims Davies MP Statement on Digital ID | Mims Davies
Now, in (yet another) a major U-turn, PM Keir Starmer’s plans have been greatly watered down. Ministers have recently confirmed that, while someone will still have to prove one’s identity digitally to access employment, this will not require a government-issued digital ID. I do welcome the Prime Minister’s grudging capitulation on digital ID in the face of opposition from every major political party and many Government MPs.
My colleagues and I were always opposed to this costly and pointless mandatory scheme. If my party ever believed mandatory digital ID cards were right and necessary, we would have introduced them in government. We made a clear choice not to and have been against this policy - made by this lame duck PM - from the outset.
Nonetheless, the Government is still planning on designing and rolling out this pointless scheme, wasting millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money in the process. A single government-issued digital identity is simply not necessary to deliver excellent online services, check eligibility for benefits or work, or verify immigration status. My sincere belief is that while using digital identity has many advantages, and those will become greater as the technology improves, there should be no compulsory or mandatory element to the use of digital identity. The Conservative Party believes government’s role is to empower the citizen, not the other way round.
That is why the last Government was working on a single portal to access government services while making sure they could always be accessible in person or on paper, too. This work was delivering tangible results - simple, easy and fast passport and driving licence applications, and right-to-work and right-to-rent checks. The last Government was able to provide trusted and secure ID documents without everyone being mandated to have a single digital identity. If Ministers want to crack down on illegal working, they should use the existing tools and e-visa system to do so.
Not only is the Labour Government’s digital ID scheme a complex and controlling system we do not need but it is also eye-wateringly expensive and brings huge security risks. As I explained in my previous statement,
‘The last time Labour attempted to implement digital ID, it was a disaster. In addition to the inevitable delay, overspend and technical incompetence inherent to a Labour Government, we now also have to reckon with the reality of massively increased threats of cyberhacking from a variety of cyber threat actors, the potential exposure of millions of citizens’ private data and the horrendous disruption & costs these attacks can incur.’
I do completely agree with the Leader of the Opposition in describing this a “terrible policy” and can assure you that, as the Official Opposition, we will not back any system that makes ID mandatory for British citizens. As your MP, I absolutely do not support this costly, misguided approach by Labour. My colleagues and I will continue to oppose this policy in Parliament, calling on the Government to do the right thing, listen to the public, cancel the whole scheme and spend taxpayers’ money more wisely.
