Downing Street ‘exploring plan for digital ID cards’
Government eyes digital IDs in crackdown on illegal immigration
- Downing Street is considering introducing digital ID cards, or "BritCards", for all adults in Britain to address the illegal migration crisis.
- The proposed ID card would be stored on a smartphone and linked to government records.
- It would be used to verify an individual's right to live and work in the UK, as well as check benefit entitlements and monitor welfare fraud.
- The proposal, supported by the think tank Labour Together and endorsed by Labour MPs Jake Richards and Adam Jogee, aims to signal that the UK is not a "soft touch" on illegal migration.
- The think tank paper estimates the system would cost up to £400m to build and around £10m a year to administer as a free-to-use phone app.