PM Admits He Must "Make The Case" For Benefits Of Digital ID
3 min read
Keir Starmer said the government needs to emphasise the benefits of digital ID following criticism of how the policy has been sold to the public.
Speaking in India on Thursday, the Prime Minister said the plans would be "transformational" across the public sector and help the state tackle illegal immigration.
Starmer said there "needs to be a national debate" about introducing digital ID, and that way, "more people see the benefits that come with it, the more, as has happened with other countries, people will say ‘that will make my life easier and therefore I want to get on with it’.”
At the end of last month, Starmer announced that the government planned to introduce mandatory digital ID as a way of modernising the functions of the state.
Opinion polls have tended to find public support for the idea in recent months and years.
However, a More in Common survey published last week found that net support for digital ID had fallen from 35 per cent in June to -14 per cent in the weekend after the announcement.
Luke Tryl, the organisation's executive director, told The Guardian that the fall in support is likely to be partly linked to the government's severe unpopularity.
Earlier this week, PoliticsHome reported concern among Labour MPs that the fall in support was being fuelled by the spread of misinformation and disinformation online about the proposals that the government had not done enough to tackle.
"We have seen a significant amount of misinformation amplified by the [social media] platforms around digital ID. I haven't seen an effective response from the government," Chi Onwurah, Labour MP and chair of the Science and Technology Committee, told PoliticsHome.
Starmer said today: “One of the things on digital ID, I do think we need to emphasise and make the case for is the great benefits of digital ID.
"You can see from Estonia the speed with which people can access services, which would be transformational, and there’s great enthusiasm in Estonia for it.”
Starmer met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his first visit to the country. The leaders met in Mumbai, where Starmer is on a two-day trade mission with a delegation of CEOs, business leaders and university vice chancellors.
Speaking at a press conference, Starmer welcomed the news of a deal being reached between Israel and Hamas, potentially marking an end to the war in the Middle East.
The PM thanked US President Donald Trump, as well as Qatar and Egypt, for leading efforts to secure a deal, which is expected to result in the 48 hostages still in Gaza being released by Monday.
Starmer said the agreement "is a really important step that’s been reached here, and that’s why I strongly welcome it.”
