UK’s Starmer Says Proposed Digital ID Will Be Mandatory for Work

The move has sparked backlash from civil liberties campaigners, and MPs of all parties, who say it will do little to stop illegal immigration.

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer delivers a speech in London on 26. Sept. 2025 PA

The UK government has said its proposed digital ID will be mandatory for all adults to work in the UK, prompting a fierce backlash from civil liberties groups and politicians concerned about the erosion of privacy and creeping state control.

Labor Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced the policy in a Sept. 26 news release, saying it will take “the best aspects of the digital identification systems that are already up and running around the world.”