LONDON: Britain is set to drop plans to make it mandatory for workers to hold a digital identity document, The Times newspaper, the BBC and other media reported on Tuesday, potentially marking another policy U-turn for the Labour government.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced in September last year that his government would require every employee to hold a digital ID in an attempt to tackle illegal migration and reduce the threat from the populist Reform UK party.
The government said the digital ID would be held on people’s mobile phones and become a mandatory part of checks employers must make when hiring staff.
The plan drew criticism from political opponents, with some arguing it would not deter illegal migration and others warning it could infringe on civil liberties.
The Times said the government abandoned the plan amid concerns it could undermine public trust in the scheme, noting that when introduced in 2029, digital IDs would be optional rather than mandatory.
Other forms of documentation, such as an electronic visa or passport, would still be valid, The Times said.
“We are committed to mandatory digital right to work checks,” a government spokesperson said. “We have always been clear that details on the digital ID scheme will be set out following a full public consultation which will launch shortly.”
The spokesperson said current checks rely on a “hodgepodge” of paper-based systems, with no record of whether they were ever carried out, leaving the process open to fraud and abuse.
If plans for a mandatory digital ID are dropped, it would mark another policy climbdown for Starmer.
In December, the government scaled back a plan to raise more tax from farmers, months after it backed down on cuts to welfare spending and scaled back a proposal to reduce subsidies on energy bills for the elderly.
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UK drops plans for mandatory digital ID for workers in latest U-turn, media reports
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UK drops plans for mandatory digital ID for workers in latest U-turn, media reports
- The digital ID would be held on people’s mobile phones, the government said
- The plan drew criticism from political opponents and warning it could infringe on civil liberties
Chagos islanders say they refuse to leave in protest against UK handover
- Four members of the Chagos community, accompanied by former British Conservative MP Adam Holloway, landed on the remote Coin Island in the Peros Banhos atoll
- Misley Mandarin: ‘I dare (British Prime Minister) Keir Starmer to remove me or the Mauritian government to remove me’
PORT LOUIS, Mauritius: Four Chagos islanders, who oppose Britain handing back the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius, said they refused to leave despite a maritime patrol trying to evict them on Wednesday.
Britain kept control of the Chagos Islands after Mauritius gained independence in the 1960s and evicted all inhabitants to make way for a military base.
Last May, Britain agreed to hand back sovereignty to Mauritius while maintaining a lease on the largest island, Diego Garcia, home to the military base now used by the United States.
On Monday, four members of the Chagos community, accompanied by former British Conservative MP Adam Holloway, landed on the remote Coin Island in the Peros Banhos atoll.
One of the group told AFP by phone that they were opposed to last year’s deal.
“The UK is handing away my homeland to Mauritius. That’s the reason why we’re here,” said Misley Mandarin, who has proclaimed himself “first minister” of the Chagossian government-in-exile.
He says he wants the islands to stay British and for the 322 surviving natives to return.
“We’re not waiting for any government to help us to settle,” Mandarin said in a live Facebook video.
“I dare (British Prime Minister) Keir Starmer to remove me or the Mauritian government to remove me.”
On Wednesday, a British maritime patrol attempted to expel the group, Mandarin told AFP by phone.
“They want to remove us from the island but we’re going to stay put... And we’ve got lawyers backing us,” he said.
According to a report by the Conservative Post, he is accompanied by his father, Michel Mandarin, 72, who was expelled from the islands when he was 14.
Mauritian Justice Minister Gavin Glover said it was “clearly a publicity stunt” ahead of a debate in the British parliament over the deal, which has been criticized by both rights groups and US President Donald Trump.
“All this is distressing, because the Mauritian state has made a solemn commitment to ensure that the Chagossians return to their homeland as soon as possible,” Glover told reporters.
Britain kept control of the Chagos Islands after Mauritius gained independence in the 1960s and evicted all inhabitants to make way for a military base.
Last May, Britain agreed to hand back sovereignty to Mauritius while maintaining a lease on the largest island, Diego Garcia, home to the military base now used by the United States.
On Monday, four members of the Chagos community, accompanied by former British Conservative MP Adam Holloway, landed on the remote Coin Island in the Peros Banhos atoll.
One of the group told AFP by phone that they were opposed to last year’s deal.
“The UK is handing away my homeland to Mauritius. That’s the reason why we’re here,” said Misley Mandarin, who has proclaimed himself “first minister” of the Chagossian government-in-exile.
He says he wants the islands to stay British and for the 322 surviving natives to return.
“We’re not waiting for any government to help us to settle,” Mandarin said in a live Facebook video.
“I dare (British Prime Minister) Keir Starmer to remove me or the Mauritian government to remove me.”
On Wednesday, a British maritime patrol attempted to expel the group, Mandarin told AFP by phone.
“They want to remove us from the island but we’re going to stay put... And we’ve got lawyers backing us,” he said.
According to a report by the Conservative Post, he is accompanied by his father, Michel Mandarin, 72, who was expelled from the islands when he was 14.
Mauritian Justice Minister Gavin Glover said it was “clearly a publicity stunt” ahead of a debate in the British parliament over the deal, which has been criticized by both rights groups and US President Donald Trump.
“All this is distressing, because the Mauritian state has made a solemn commitment to ensure that the Chagossians return to their homeland as soon as possible,” Glover told reporters.
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