On Monday 8th December, MPs met to discuss the government’s intention to introduce a mandatory national digital identity after nearly three million people signed a petition calling for the idea to be scrapped.
The government has said the system will be used to support efforts to tackle illegal migration. It is expected to become a compulsory part of Right to Work checks before the end of the current parliamentary term and would hold basic identity details — including a person’s name, date of birth, nationality, residency status and a photograph.
For three hours, MPs traded views. But the debate highlighted just how little certainty exists about what the government is proposing.
A few points stood out:
- No agreed factual baseline. MPs noted they were debating without shared facts.
- Concerns over mandate. Several MPs argued that a mandatory digital ID was not in the government’s manifesto.
- Cost uncertainty. Opposition MPs cited an OBR estimate of £1.8bn. Ministers rejected that figure outright.
- Risks of expanded state monitoring and weakened privacy protections. A Labour MP warned that a digital ID system could increase state control, especially when considered alongside other developments such as the wider use of facial recognition technology.
Why the public is uneasy
The government is due to launch a public consultation in the new year on the digital ID scheme, but as it stands, public confidence is low. Even those supportive of digital identity systems acknowledged that trust has collapsed, and recent cyber incidents across the public and private sectors aren’t helping.
In our own survey, 75% of people told us they’ve suffered the negative effects of a data breach. They’ve seen how vulnerable their information can be, and they’re being asked to trust a system that hasn’t yet been properly defined or stress tested.
Concerns tend to fall into three categories:
- Privacy: Who will see my data, and why
- Security: Can the system withstand modern cyber-attacks?
- Scope: Will this be a simple verification tool — or the gateway to a permission-based society?
Until those questions are answered clearly, public scepticism will remain entirely reasonable.
That’s why Join the Claim is launching the Digital ID Pledge, a five-point public guarantee designed to put people first and ensure any future digital ID system is built on transparency, accountability and security.
To build public confidence, the government must commit to:
- Full transparency over where digital identity data is stored.
- Immediate and full disclosure of any breach attempts.
- Independent annual audits of system security and resilience.
- Strict limits on data sharing, including a total ban on commercial profiling.
- Clear accountability for any organisation handling Digital ID data — whether public, private or subcontracted.
We’re calling on individuals, experts and organisations across the UK to demand stronger safeguards before any digital ID system is introduced.
Share #ProtectOurDigitalID, discuss the pledge, and help ensure the next stage of the digital identity debate is grounded not in speculation — but in meaningful protections that keep people safe.
