Prime Minister Keir Starmer is backing plans for a national digital ID card system, requiring all adults to present identification when starting work or renting property, the Telegraph reports.
The proposed “Brit card” would replace physical documents, which officials warn are open to forgery, with automatic checks against a central database confirming the holder’s right to live and work in the UK.
Labour’s previous attempt at ID cards in 2009 was scrapped by the Conservative-led coalition as a civil liberties risk, but pressure over illegal immigration and the rise of asylum hotels has led Downing Street to revisit the idea.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has declared her support, saying digital IDs would help enforce laws against illegal working and reduce incentives drawing immigrants to Britain.
