COMPULSORY digital ID would exclude marginalised groups from housing and employment, campaigners have warned.

The government announced today it will introduce a mandatory ID system to prove the right to work in Britain.

Suggesting it would be used to control migration, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the scheme would “make it tougher to work illegally in this country, making our borders more secure.”

Expected to be in place by the end of this parliament, the ID would supposedly “offer ordinary citizens countless benefits, like being able to prove your identity to access key services swiftly — rather than hunting around for an old utility bill,” he said.

The ID will store a photo, name, date of birth, nationality and residency information and be accessible via smartphones.

Privacy International has conducted research on countries abroad who have adopted Digital ID systems and found that the risks “well outweigh the benefits.”

“Most of these schemes are done by way of public-private partnerships,” said advocate officer Sana Farrukh.

“ That raises a lot of concerns about what type of transparency and due diligence processes are being used.”

She warned that historically there has always been a “ function creep,” saying: “Slowly you see that this becomes another surveillance system that’s going to widen its parameters over time and interfere with the ability to access different services, or there could be the sharing of data between different agencies.”

Such schemes can also be exclusionary, she said, citing how in India people have faced difficulties getting welfare benefits due to being unable to access digital ID.

These fears were shared by Liberty director Akiko Hart: “Compulsory digital ID will exclude some of the most marginalised members of society, including those in poverty and the elderly, from housing and employment.”

Jim Killock from Open Rights Group slammed the “costly and divisive” scheme as the last thing the government should be embarking on during a cost-of-living crisis.

“Labour is at risk of creating a digital surveillance infrastructure that will change everyone’s daily lives and establish a pre-crime state where we constantly have to prove who we are as we go about our daily lives,” he said.

Unlock Democracy director Tom Brake said: “With employers already required to check people’s entitlement to work, it is not clear how Digital ID will help reduce illegal immigration and stop people working in the black economy.  

“But what Digital ID could facilitate in the future is more extensive intrusion into people’s lives and the creation of large datasets vulnerable to hacking.”

A consultation will look at how the scheme will work for those without a smartphone, the government said.

The Scottish Greens slammed the “authoritarian” plan.

MSP Maggie Chapman said: “Labour is always telling us that they cannot afford to support pensioners in the winter or fund services we all rely on, but they have found hundreds of millions of pounds for a scheme like this that wasn’t even in their manifesto.

“And that money will be going to the private IT company that wins the lucrative contract.

“Labour is at risk of repeating the PPE scandal we saw during Covid and creating the opportunity for future consultancy jobs for ex-ministers.”

Plaid Cymru Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts said: “We are concerned about data security, and we will oppose any system that risks making monetising sensitive personal data for private companies or making it more vulnerable to cyberattacks.

“And let’s get one thing clear: a majority of people in Wales identify as Welsh only. Describing this as a ‘BritCard’ is the surest way to get a policy off to a bad start here.”