Good news for UK workers: Digital ID no longer mandatory

The UK government rolls back a key element of its proposed digital ID plans, removing the requirement that working-age people must use a new digital ID to prove their right to work. Ministers say alternative forms of identification, such as passports, will remain valid under the revised approach.

The change follows controversy around the policy announced last September and marks another adjustment under Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

When Starmer outlines the digital ID proposal, it is described as voluntary, except for mandatory right-to-work verification. He frames this as clamping down on illegal working and fortifying border controls.

Officials now confirm, however, that while digital verification remains necessary, a single compulsory digital ID will not be required. Instead, existing documents may be verified through a digital process yet to be finalised.

Officials states that the move is not a u-turn but a refinement ahead of full public consultation, which is due to start shortly. One motivation for the change in approach is to let people volunteer for digital ID without fuelling panic about state control. 

A government spokesperson says that mandatory digital right-to-work checks remain and that digital ID will make public services more efficient while remaining inclusive.

Opposition parties also criticise this trend. Conservative Party Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Mike Wood describes it as a "humiliating U-turn", claiming the policy has lost its credibility.

Liberal Democrats Cabinet Office Spokesperson Lisa Smart blames the government for wasting taxpayers’ money while advocating for its allocation to the NHS and policing services.

It was reported that the focus was to continue stricter eligibility for work verification, similar to those implemented in other countries. Workers are no longer required to submit paper documents for verification but are expected to electronically verify their passports/e-visas.