Labour is again talking about illegal migration as a (phoney) ‘justification’ for stripping Britons of their most basic liberties, by introducing identity cards for all.
It’s amusing, really, how mandatory digital ID cards for law-abiding citizens are being offered, but withdrawing from the Strasbourg-based European Convention of Human Rights—which would really help the government get deportation flights off the ground and deter future movement—is a total no-no for Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Really, that’s because migration has nothing to do with the government’s plans. It is simply the latest in a long list of excuses for keeping closer tabs on Britons, which they have wanted to do for years.
Asked about the possibility of compulsory cards, officials told the Telegraph that ministers discussed cracking down on “pull factors” and illegal working, “including exploring options around digital ID.” Starmer’s spokesman also said:
We’re willing to look at what works when it comes to tackling illegal migration.
Civil liberties group Big Brother Watch said it was “alarmed” by these discussions, adding that “we are sleepwalking into a dystopian nightmare where the entire population will be forced through myriad digital checkpoints to go about our everyday lives.”
Mandatory digital ID is simply not the magic-bullet solution that is often promised to tackle illegal immigration or other societal issues. It will not stop small boat crossings, but it will create a burden on the already law-abiding population to prove our right to be here.
The Together Declaration also said the plans give the lie to Starmer’s insistence last year that his government would “tread more lightly” on the lives of voters.
Before becoming home secretary, Yvette Cooper said “no” to the idea of introducing ID cards. But she announced a total reversal of this position in June.
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_.
