UK prime minister Keir Starmer says that digital identity cards are an “enormous opportunity” to crack down on illegal migration by making it tougher to work in the UK illegally. But civil liberties campaigners—who have spent decades fighting the idea—insist that they not only “won’t stop the boats” but will also “make Britain less free.”
Obviously recognising the passionate opposition to digital ID, the prime minister’s team has even decided to title its latest incarnation “BritCard,” as if a phoney nod to patriotism makes up for its illiberal faults.
Cards will be mandatory for all British citizens, reportedly from the end of this parliament.
Perhaps the only hope Britons have of stopping digital ID this time around is Labour MPs critical of the scheme—not least given the precariousness of Starmer’s position. Among them are
Richard Burgon, who pointed to the fact that former PM Tony Blair “has been pushing this agenda for more than two decades, always using one excuse or another to justify it,”
Nadia Whittome, who said: “If we’re going to reheat Blair-era policies, can we please focus on lifting children out of poverty? Instead of this divisive, authoritarian nonsense,” and
Clive Lewis, who added that “any trade unions, civil society organisations and campaign groups opposing this dystopian mess” can “count me in.”
The scheme is also “firmly” opposed by far-left former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn—who retains a massive following on the British left. He described it as “an affront to our civil liberties” and “excessive state interference.”
I firmly oppose the government’s plans for compulsory digital ID cards.
This is an affront to our civil liberties, and will make the lives of minorities even more difficult and dangerous.
It is excessive state interference — and must be resisted.
On the other side of the divide, Reform leader Nigel Farage said “no” to digital ID on Thursday, saying it has “made no difference at all in Germany, and nor will it here.”
Journalist and author Peter Hitchens, who has long written about this issue, pointed out that when Labour politicians pushed for digital ID before last year’s general election, people should not have been surprised. Identity cards were introduced in Britain during the Second World War, supposedly to help catch spies—but in reality, they were hardly ever used for that purpose.
They would, of course, have been very useful to the Nazis, had they ever arrived, in rounding up Jews and other persons they wanted to kill.
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
