The government’s latest proposal to introduce digital identification cards has stirred immediate debate, with critics questioning whether it will have any real impact on illegal small boat crossings in the English Channel.
While Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer pushes ahead with the plan as part of a broader overhaul of the UK’s asylum and immigration system, campaigners argue the scheme may create more problems than it solves.
The idea has reportedly been under exploration in recent weeks, though finer details are still being ironed out, according to the Financial Times.
The government suggests the cards could act as a deterrent for migrants and make it easier to verify legal status for employment and housing.
Critics Call the Plan “Utter Nonsense”
Opposition has been swift. Campaigners and civil liberties groups have dismissed the notion that digital ID cards could stop small boats from crossing the Channel.
Alan Miller, co-founder of The Together Association, ridiculed the suggestion:
“Pat McFadden said it’s going to stop the boats. How is that going to work? Are they going to give everyone smartphones?”
He accused the government of “gaslighting” the public to drum up support for the policy, calling it “nonsense.”
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch echoed these concerns, noting that the scheme “is not really going to solve the problem” of controlling immigration.
Fears of a “Papers, Please” Society
Civil liberties organizations warn that mandatory digital ID could infringe on everyday freedoms.
Rebecca Vincent from Big Brother Watch described the plan as a step toward a dystopian “Papers, please” society:
“Mandatory digital ID will not stop small boat crossings, but it will create a burden on law-abiding citizens to prove their right to be here.”
Gracie Bradley of Liberty added that any new scheme could be “even more intrusive, insecure, and discriminatory” than the Labour government’s failed 2006 ID card plan, scrapped by the Coalition government in 2010.
Bradley called the proposed scheme “expensive and unjustified” and warned it could threaten citizens’ rights.
Political and Legal Concerns
Even within mainstream politics, critics question the effectiveness of the plan.
Conservative justice spokesman Robert Jenrick highlighted that employers who hire individuals illegally are already aware of their obligations, and requiring digital IDs would likely change little in practice.
The government has not committed to specific rollout details.
Sources told the Financial Times that digital IDs could eventually be issued to everyone legally entitled to reside in the UK—citizens and legally resident non-citizens alike—for use in employment verification and rental agreements.
However, the scope of the scheme could still be narrowed or revised.
Government Emphasizes Technology for Access
A government spokesperson stressed that the UK is committed to leveraging technology to make public services more accessible, pointing to existing tools such as e-visas and the NHS app:
“We will look at any serious proposals that would help people access public services, including digital ID.”
While Starmer’s team prepares to unveil more details, the debate over digital ID cards is shaping up as a high-stakes discussion over privacy, civil liberties, and whether technology can actually address immigration challenges.