Cooper defends prospect of digital ID for children as young as 13
Government says digital ID plans ‘right way forward’ despite growing criticism
- Yvette Cooper defended the controversial expansion of digital ID plans to include children as young as 13, arguing that many teenagers already use similar forms of identification.
- The government is consulting on whether the digital ID system, initially for those aged 16 or over, should be extended to include 13-year-olds, following a petition signed by over 2.8 million people.
- Cooper asserted that a "standardised" system is the "right way forward" and would offer consistency, as people already utilise various digital IDs.
- Sir Keir Starmer reportedly aims to widen the technology's application beyond tackling illegal migration to encompass public services such as benefits and bill payments.
- Starmer praised India's extensive Aadhaar digital ID system, which includes biometric data, as a "massive success" and suggested Britain could use similar technology for banking, though No 10 clarified the UK system would not necessarily copy India's biometric data usage.