UK rolls back digital ID for work checks as privacy fears drive backlash

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer scrapped plans to make digital ID mandatory for workers after a backlash over “Orwellian” surveillance fears.

The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government has dropped plans to make a centralized digital ID mandatory for workers, softening a flagship policy that would have required every employee to prove their right to work via a government‑issued credential rather than traditional documents like passports. 

The move follows months of backlash from critics, including UK Member of Parliament Rupert Lowe, Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage and other cross‑party politicians, civil liberties groups and campaigners. 

Opponents warned it risked building an “Orwellian nightmare,” centralizing sensitive data in a honeypot vulnerable to hacking, and mission creep into areas such as housing, banking and voting.

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