How UK’s Starmer hopes to counter populist rise with Digital ID plan

The British government has announced plans to introduce a mandatory digital identity card for all employees, as part of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s broader effort to curb undocumented immigration and counter the rising influence of the populist Reform UK party. 

The initiative, recently revealed by the PM at the Global Progress Action Summit, marks a significant shift in the Labour government’s approach to immigration policy and national security as highlighted by Sky News.

Speaking alongside leaders from Canada, Australia, and Iceland, Starmer acknowledged that previous Labour administrations had been too “squeamish” in addressing public concerns about immigration.

He argued that this reluctance created a political vacuum that parties such as Reform UK—known for its strong anti-immigration stance—have successfully filled. Led by Nigel Farage, the prominent Brexit campaigner, Reform UK has been climbing in national polls and is now seen by analysts as Labour’s most formidable challenger in the next general election, scheduled for 2029.

In his address, Starmer announced: “That is why today I am announcing this government will make a new, free-of-charge, digital ID mandatory for the right to work by the end of this parliament.”

The proposed digital ID scheme would serve multiple purposes—streamlining access to government and public services, improving administrative efficiency, and strengthening employment verification systems. The government contends that by ensuring all workers hold a verifiable digital ID, it will become significantly harder for people without legal status to find employment, thereby discouraging illegal immigration and enhancing border security.

The proposal, however, has ignited a civil liberties debate across the United Kingdom. The idea of a national identity card has long been controversial in British politics, with critics arguing that it poses a threat to privacy and represents government overreach.

Previous attempts to introduce identity cards, including one under Tony Blair’s Labour government in the mid-2000s, faced intense public opposition and were ultimately scrapped.

Polling initially showed strong support for a national digital ID card system back in June, with 53% of Britons in favour with only 19% opposed. This support has dramatically dropped since the Prime Minister announced plans to proceed with the scheme, with now a whopping 45% saying they are opposed, and only 31% remaining in favour.

Despite the criticism, Starmer framed the policy as part of a larger ideological struggle over Britain’s future direction.

“There’s a battle for the soul of this country now as to what sort of country we want to be,” he declared. “That’s why I want this to be out as an open fight between Labour and Reform.”

Reform UK’s surge in popularity has been closely tied to rising public concern over immigration, particularly the record number of illegal small-boat crossings across the English Channel from France this year.

Farage and his allies have accused Labour of being too lenient on border enforcement, while Starmer’s government has sought to project a tougher stance without alienating liberal voters.

International precedent

Government ministers argue that one of the key factors drawing undocumented immigrants to Britain is the relative ease of finding work without proper documentation—something the new digital ID system is designed to change. 

They also note that national identity cards are standard practice across much of Europe. In fact, in all but two of the EU's 27 member states, physical ID cards are used both as identity documents in citizens' home countries and for travel within the passport-free Schengen zone.

The only two exceptions are Denmark, where digital identity and authentication applications are used, and Ireland, which issues passport cards.

In a related development, Switzerland narrowly voted last weekend to adopt a voluntary electronic ID system, reflecting a broader European trend toward digitized identity verification as a means of improving security and access to public services.

The link between lax identification requirements, illegal immigration, and election integrity has been brought under the global spotlight by US President Donald Trump, who has long championed the implementation of voter ID laws.

Alongside other political figures, he has repeatedly warned of the alleged risk of voter fraud involving both citizens and undocumented immigrants, urging the adoption of photo identification requirements at the polls to counter what he describes as a growing threat to fair elections.

By Nazrin Sadigova