UK to launch national digital identity for right to work by 2029

The government has confirmed plans to introduce a national digital identity scheme that will be required for anyone seeking employment in the United Kingdom, setting out a timetable and rejecting calls for a referendum as critics and campaigners intensify opposition. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced the proposal in September and ministers say the system, to be rolled out by 2029, will be used to prove a person’s right to live and work in the UK and to reduce illegal working that they link to dangerous Channel crossings.

Ministers and officials have framed the scheme as a way to crack down on forged documents, simplify employer right to work checks and streamline everyday identity tasks such as age verification for buying alcohol or medicines. “If you want to work, you’ve got to have it,” the prime minister said while promoting the plan, but he and his ministers have repeatedly said the pass will not be compulsory for other purposes. A departmental response to a parliamentary petition said the scheme will not be a physical card and will be “fully compliant with our international legal and human rights obligations.” The department also said a public consultation will...