Topic analysis

Mandatory digital ID launch called 'a fiasco' by scrutiny committee

The launch of plans for government-issued digital ID for all British adults last year has been labelled "nothing short of a fiasco" by the home affairs select committee. Sir Keir Starmer announced he wanted to bring in compulsory digital ID for workers in September last year, but U-turned three months later following a major public backlash. Having initially insisted a digital "Britcard" would be mandatory and help to tackle illegal working, the government has now shifted to introducing non-compulsory digital ID . Home Affairs Committee Chair Dame Karen Bradley said the government was right to introduce digital ID but had botched the launch. In a report setting out the committee's investigation into the launch and subsequent changes to the digital ID policy, Dame Karen said: "The government's early attempts to set out its plans for digital ID were nothing short of a fiasco. "To the public this announcement came out of the blue and made little sense. "It raised fears of government over-reach into people's lives and was so poorly thought out that they had few answers to ease these concerns." She added public opinion had broadly been in favour of moving away from paper to digital ID before they were "spooked" by "badly explained" plans. The government is still pressing ahead with making digital identification, in the form of an app stored on smartphones , similar to digital bank cards, available to those who want one. The ID will include information on the holders' residency status, name, date of birth, nationality and their photo, which can be used to be used to verify a person's age and their right to live and work in the UK. Sir Keir had initially tried to set out how moving ID verification online could reduce current issues with the use of fake documents and borrowed National Insurance numbers being used by illegal workers. But the idea came under immediate pressure from political opponents and civil liberties campaigners, including Big Brother Watch, highlighting concerns around privacy. A UK Parliament petition opposing digital IDs warned the scheme could lead to "mass surveillance and digital control" and quickly picked up three million signatures. By January, the mandatory element of the plans had been abandoned, in what was seen as the latest in a series of climbdowns by Sir Keir . In March, the government relaunched its digital ID plans as a voluntary scheme, pitching the app as a way to make life easier for people using public services. Cabinet Office minister Darren Jones launched an eight-week consultation and set up a "people's panel", bringing together 100 individuals from across the country with different backgrounds, to advise on the scheme. Dame Karen said the move away from a mandatory element was welcome but said consultation should have been done straight away rather than "back to front" and started following the relaunch. She also welcomed a commitment from government that it will not seek to create a centralised database for digital ID. "Ministers have rightly gone back to the drawing board and begun the difficult task of rebuilding trust in what has the potential to be a valuable tool for government," she said. However she warned: "Digital ID will not achieve widespread adoption unless the majority of people can trust that their data is secure, so it is vital that the programme is subject to the highest standards of privacy and cyber and data security. "This will not be a quick-fix solution," she added. "Any future mistakes might prove fatal for public confidence." Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to read top political analysis, gain insight from across the UK and stay up to speed with the big moments. It'll be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.