A prominent Scottish Labour MP has called on the UK government to implement digital identity cards for all citizens as a measure to combat undocumented immigration. Meanwhile the Shadow Opposition has hinted they could back the digital ID legislation however remains cautious.

Gregor Poynton [1] an MP for the constituency of Livingston is optimistic that the UK government will revive the digital ID initiative originally [2] proposed by former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, who aimed to implement mandatory identification but ultimately shelved the contentious idea. This development emerges amid speculation that the Prime Minister has been persuaded to roll out a digital iteration of the debated plan. Gregor Poynton [3] has expressed his support for the proposal and shared his thoughts with the Daily Record on why now is the appropriate moment to consider its implementation. “A secure digital identity is the key to fixing our broken immigration system and speeding up the public services we all use. Everyone should be able to prove who they are, and whether they have the right to live, work, and claim services in the UK. Without that, criminals slip through the cracks, dodgy employers get away with undercutting honest businesses and too often, it’s the most vulnerable who get exploited,” said Poynton.

Poynton’s comments comes after the Scottish government announced their digital ID system [4] called ScotAccount would enable users to authenticate their identities and gain access to various public services as stated in my previous article, the announcement stated, “During the early stages of beta, we worked closely with a small group of service providers to test functionality, identify issues, and gather targeted feedback. We have also, to date, had over 1,000 people take part in user research, helping us shape a service that works for a wide range of needs.” However privacy advocates [5] have expressed concerns that the system could gradually be imposed as mandatory.  “Digital identity systems are a honeypot for criminals and hackers. These plans could give the Scottish government free rein to build huge population wide-datasets and to share the personal information of millions of users between government departments,” said Madeleine Stone of Big Brother Watch.

Meanwhile, Chris Philp who [6] is the Shadow Home Secretary has stated that the Conservative Party will take a “very careful” approach in evaluating the potential implementation of mandatory digital ID cards. Chris Philp expressed [7] his belief in a “very strong case” for the introduction of these cards, emphasizing that they could simplify identity verification for individuals accessing taxpayer-funded services. “I think any government of this country has to be prepared to do whatever it takes to protect our borders from illegal migration. I think it is certainly something we should be considering very carefully. I think there is a very strong case to say that if someone is trying to make a claim from the state which other taxpayers fund, for example claiming benefits, using the NHS, something like that, then I think there is a very strong case to say you should have to prove your identity if you are using a service that taxpayers pay for.”

However, he acknowledged that this initiative would bring forth significant concerns regarding privacy and civil liberties, necessitating a thorough assessment before any decisions are made. “Now, to go one step beyond that and say there should be compulsory, universal ID cards does get you into questions around civil liberties and personal freedom and is that excessive intrusion by the state on the one hand, against knowing exactly who everybody is on the other.I think that is a legitimate and valid debate to have, and I think any responsible party should think about it very carefully,” said Philip. 

David Frost who [8] was the Chief Negotiator for exiting the EU and a columnist for The Telegraph says Labour’s proposed digital ID legislation [9] could lead society into an age reminiscent of Orwell's dystopia. “Don’t listen. Not just because you don’t need to give a digital ID to 70 million people to stop 0.05 per cent of that number arriving illegally. After all, the small boat arrivals aren’t hidden: we know where they are, because we are paying to house them, and as far as I can see very often little effort is made to stop them working anyway,” said Frost, “Yes, we give our data to private companies now. But there’s a crucial difference. They can’t pass laws. They can’t make you deal with them. If you don’t like what they do with your data, you can go elsewhere. Only the government can control your life, and only the government can make private companies cooperate with it. With a digital ID, it’s all too easy.”