Keir Starmer says Digital IDs will help 'get your kids to school'

Sir Keir Starmer fought back against fierce opposition to his plans for digital identity cards by claiming they could help you "get your kids into school". The Labour Government is pressing ahead with plans to roll out this controversial form of identification.

The Prime Minister met in India this week with Nandan Nilekani - the Infosys co-founder credited with developing the world's largest Digital ID system. In Britain, more than 2.8million people have signed a petition which warns Digital IDs could be a "step towards mass surveillance and digital control".

The Government intends to make the IDs compulsory for right to work checks by the next election. Sir Keir argues this will help tackle illegal immigration. The Tony Blair Institute has also lobbied strongly for the introduction of this form of "secure ID", stating it would reduce fraud and help people access services.

The Prime Minister has now made a new pitch for the benefits of Digital IDs, stressing the potential benefits to parents by making it easier for them to prove their identity.

He told journalists: "I don't know how many times the rest of you have had to look in the bottom drawer for three bills when you want to get your kids into school or apply for this or apply for that - drives me to frustration."

Sir Keir also insisted Britain needed to tackle illegal immigration and "address the fact that too many people can come to this country and work illegally".

However, Reform UK MP Lee Anderson, a passionate opponent of this form of ID, said: "Digital IDs are nothing more than an attempt by the government to gain further control over our personal lives, jobs, and freedoms. This policy will do nothing to stop illegal migration, will cost taxpayers millions, and will only burden law-abiding citizens.

"Reform will scrap it entirely, allowing Britons to work and live freely, while tackling migration and illegal working through proper border enforcement and deportations."

Sir Jake Berry, a former Conservative Party chairman who now supports Reform, said: "The British people have seen straight through Keir Starmer's plans for Digital ID cards and it is no surprise he is now the most unpopular prime minister in our history. The introduction of digital ID is nothing to do with controlling our borders - it about controlling the public.

"Starmer's obsession with monitoring every part of our lives from the cradle to the grave shows just how far this Government has drifted from the principles of trust and freedom."

A Government spokesman said lessons would be learnt from different countries, adding that Digital IDs could "make life easier for everyday people and their access to public services".

He added that "when you set out radical, ambitious public service reform it's natural for people to have thoughts" and the PM welcomed engagement.