Sir Keir to Unveil ‘Brit-Card’ Digital ID Scheme This Friday
Brit-Card: The New Must-Have Digital ID
Sir Keir Starmer is gearing up to launch a bold new digital ID scheme dubbed the “Brit-Card.” The plan, first tipped by The i Paper, will use a smartphone app to verify a person’s right to live and work in the UK. Anyone starting a new job or renting property will have to flash their Brit-Card for instant ID checks against a central UK database. The government hopes it will smash illegal working, especially in sectors like delivery services where undocumented labour is widespread.
Back to ID Cards – But In The Smartphone Age
The UK hasn’t seen compulsory ID cards since 1952. Starmer says the digital update is way overdue. This modern twist will replace paper forms with a sleek app, making it harder to game the system.
Keir Starmer on the Brit-Card: “It’s not Whitehall dictating what’s going to be done, it’s people with skin in the game.”
Why Now? Migrant Pressure & Macron’s Call
The announcement comes amid rising immigration and pressure from French President Emmanuel Macron to tackle “pull factors” for migrants crossing the Channel. Last week alone, 1,157 people arrived on small boats, according to Home Office stats. Starmer will unveil his plans at the Global Progress Action Summit alongside world leaders like Australia’s Anthony Albanese and Canada’s Mark Carney.
Earlier this month, Starmer told the BBC the Brit-Card could be “an important part” of stopping illegal migration. “We all carry a lot more digital ID now than we did 20 years ago, and I think that, psychologically, it plays a different part,” he said. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has also thrown her weight behind the scheme, giving this controversial policy fresh momentum.
