Keir Starmer under fresh pressure to ditch Digital ID as poll shows majority oppose it
Sir Keir Starmer is facing fresh calls to ditch his plan for Digital ID after a survey showed the majority of the public now oppose it. A long-running poll has found that support for the policy has plummeted since the Prime Minister announced that mandatory Digital ID would be brought in for right-to-work checks. In June last year 57 per cent of those asked by YouGov said they supported ‘the introduction of a system of national identity cards’, similar to figures reported in the previous five years, while only 25 per cent were against it. However when the same question was posed of 1,700 Britons in December, two months after Sir Keir proposed his policy as a way of tackling illegal immigration, support had plummeted to 38 per cent while opposition had jumped to 47 per cent. Of those against the idea, 31 per cent said they were ‘strongly opposed’ - up from just 12 per cent six months earlier. And among backers only 14 per cent said they now ‘strongly support’ a nationwide ID system, compared with 24 per cent in the summer. The polling took place before the Daily Mail revealed that ministers have secretly discussed issuing newborn babies with Digital ID alongside the ‘red book’ of child health records given to parents. So far the Government has refused to say how far the scheme will go or even how much it will cost, although a public consultation has been promised for the new year.
In This Article:
- Poll reveals support for national ID collapses as December poll shows 38% in favour and 47% against
- Gimmick claim voiced as Julia Lopez slams the plan
- Big Brother Watch warns over digital IDs including babies and the cost to freedoms
- Independent MP Rupert Lowe vents anger but is ready to fight it in Parliament
Poll reveals support for national ID collapses as December poll shows 38% in favour and 47% against
Opposition to ID cards has grown since Sir Keir Starmer announced his policy in September. December poll numbers show support had plummeted to 38 per cent while opposition had jumped to 47 per cent. Of those against the idea, 31 per cent said they were ‘strongly opposed’ - up from just 12 per cent six months earlier. And among backers only 14 per cent said they now ‘strongly support’ a nationwide ID system, compared with 24 per cent in the summer. The polling took place before the Daily Mail revealed that ministers have secretly discussed issuing newborn babies with Digital ID alongside the ‘red book’ of child health records given to parents. So far the Government has refused to say how far the scheme will go or even how much it will cost, although a public consultation has been promised for the new year.
Gimmick claim voiced as Julia Lopez slams the plan
Last night Shadow Science Secretary Julia Lopez told this newspaper: ‘This is a gimmick, rushed out without answering the most basic questions about privacy, scope, or control. ‘Digital ID should be voluntary, limited, and built around consent. It should never force people into a single system just to live their everyday lives. ‘If Starmer wants to improve his dismal popularity, he should drop this idea now. Because voters don’t want a government-issued digital pass for daily life, and they don’t trust Labour to keep it within bounds once it’s built.’
Big Brother Watch warns over digital IDs including babies and the cost to freedoms
Silkie Carlo, Director of civil rights group Big Brother Watch, said: ‘The public didn’t vote for, don’t need and and don’t want digital ID cards. If Starmer continues to force this mandatory scheme on an unwilling public it will be deeply undemocratic and an insult to the public.’ She went on: ‘We could be paying for IDs not only with an eye-watering £1.8bn of our taxes but with our freedoms too. The shocking prospect of digital IDs for babies shows that this government has used immigration control as a smokescreen to usher in an ID system that could be a far more expansive programme of data collection than what the public has been told. ‘We have every reason to be highly suspicious of the government’s digital ID plans and we’ll be fighting tooth and nail to stop them.’
Independent MP Rupert Lowe vents anger but is ready to fight it in Parliament
Independent MP Rupert Lowe described it as ‘sick’ and ‘un-British’, vowing: ‘I will fight it in Parliament.’ A Government spokesman insisted: ‘Digital ID will make everyday life easier for people, ensuring public services are more personal, joined-up, and effective, while also remaining inclusive.’
