Incoming UK prime minister to drop planned digital ID scheme

Incoming UK prime minister Andy Burnham will shelve a planned nationwide digital ID scheme, a spokesperson said.

Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is due to step down on Monday, announced the plan in September as part of efforts to curb illegal migration. The proposal met strong opposition in the UK, where identity cards have long faced resistance.

The spokesperson said the time and resources planned for the national ID scheme would instead be directed to areas where they were most needed, including help with the cost of living.

Burnham, also from Labour, takes over during a prolonged cost-of-living crisis that has hurt living standards and contributed to Starmer becoming deeply unpopular. His priorities are expected to include strengthening the economy and improving living standards after sharp rises in energy and food prices since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war.

A statement said the new government would still continue efforts against illegal working and would build on progress made under Starmer. It said right-to-work checks would remain mandatory for employers and that employers can already carry them out digitally.

Starmer had pledged to introduce the ID card by 2029. It was not to be mandatory in general, but it would have been needed to prove the right to work. His government later moved away from making it obligatory for work. The programme had been estimated to cost £1.8 billion over three years.