Monday, July 20, 2026
Burnham starts with the low-hanging fruit
The programme was hugely problematic, expensive, a threat to civil liberties, and the embodiment of a touching faith in new technology to solve all our problems.
As the Guardian reports, that the new Labour leader plans to redirect the resources earmarked for the scheme towards tackling the cost of living.
However, the paper adds that it is unclear how much money the decision to scrap the controversial project will save as Starmer’s government did not set out a clear budget for the initiative:
The Office for Budget Responsibility suggested it could cost about £1.8bn, but its estimate was rejected by officials.
Starmer first announced plans for a digital ID scheme last September, as part of plans to combat illegal working. It was planned to be rolled out by 2029.
He said the proposed “Brit card” would be compulsory for those who needed to prove they were allowed to work in the UK amid growing fears about illegal immigration.
The cards were to detail the holder’s residency status, name, date of birth and nationality, alongside their photograph.
Starmer billed the rollout as “an enormous opportunity for the UK” and said the ID cards “will make it tougher to work illegally in this country, making our borders more secure”.
Tony Blair’s government passed legislation designed to facilitate the introduction of ID cards in 2006, to the anger of many privacy campaigners. His plans never came into force and were ultimately scrapped by the coalition government in 2011.
The Tony Blair Institute, set up by the former prime minister after his departure from frontline politics, was one of several Labour-aligned thinktanks to welcome the fresh proposals put forward by Starmer.
“Make no mistake, if the government announces a universal digital ID to help improve our public services, it would be one of the most important steps taken by this or any government to make British citizens’ everyday lives easier and build trust,” its director of government innovation, Alexander Iosad, said.
However, the plans attracted widespread backlash from opposition politicians and civil rights groups.
The Conservative MP David Davis said: “No system is immune to failure, and we have seen time and again governments and tech giants fail to protect people’s personal data. If world-leading companies cannot protect our data, I have little faith that Whitehall would be able to do better.”
It is a good start by Burnham, let's see if he can carry on in that vein.
