UK to make digital identity mandatory for right to work by 2029

Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Friday that the government will introduce a nationwide digital identity system that will be mandatory to prove the right to work in the United Kingdom, with the rollout scheduled to be completed by the end of this Parliament, expected in 2029. The digital ID will be available to UK citizens and legal residents, held on smartphones and designed to include a holder’s name, date of birth, photograph and residency or nationality status, ministers said.

Under the plans, employers will verify a prospective employee’s right to work through a secure app or digital wallet linked to a central verification system. Downing Street and ministers say people will not be required to carry their ID or be asked to produce it routinely, but that possession of a digital ID will be compulsory for anyone seeking employment. “You will not be able to work in the United Kingdom if you do not have digital ID,” the prime minister said when unveiling the scheme. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the document will be provided free and that while everyone will be issued an ID, “it will be entirely their choice” whether to use it beyond employment checks.