Keir Starmer 'drops plans' for compulsory digital ID ‘BritCard’ all adults in UK were meant to have

The government is reportedly rolling back plans for digital ID cards for all Brits to be made compulsory, meaning they would be optional when they were introduced.

The Times reports that Keir Starmer has abandoned plans for mandatory digital ID cards, claiming that a government source told them the original plans' compulsory nature 'was stopping conversation about what digital IDs could be used for generally'.

They claim that the ID cards, which are set to be introduced in 2029, will be optional and Brits will have the choice to digitally verify their identity using other documents.

The source for The Times said: "Stepping back from mandatory-use cases will deflate one of the main points of contention. We do not want to risk there being cases of some 65-year-old in a rural area being barred from working because he hasn’t installed the ID."

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the government said: "We are committed to mandatory digital right-to-work checks.

"Currently right to work checks include a hodge podge of paper-based systems with no record of checks ever taking place. This is open to fraud and abuse.

"We have always been clear that details on the digital ID scheme will be set out following a full public consultation, which will launch shortly.

A mockup of what the digital ID could look like (Tony Blair Institute)

"Digital ID will make everyday life easier for people, ensuring public services are more personal, joined-up, and effective, while also remaining inclusive."

Starmer had said last year that he planned to make a 'new, free-of-charge digital ID mandatory for the right to work before the end of this parliament'.

The government has previously claimed that a digital ID card scheme would make it harder for people who do not have the right to work in the UK to get employment here.

The Conservatives seem to think the changes are happening, as shadow Cabinet Office minister Mike Wood called them 'another costly, ill-thought-out experiment abandoned at the first sign of pressure'.

The digital ID card scheme had been billed as technically voluntary, though mandatory if you wanted to get a job in the UK, which would have made it compulsory for people of working age.

There have been protests against a digital ID (Krisztian Elek/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

While many developed countries have an ID card scheme, the government's plans to introduce one for Brits have been met with some very vocal opposition.

Support for digital ID had stood at 53 per cent back in June, but when the government actually announced it was happening, backing for the scheme had fallen to 31 per cent by October.

Despite the government insisting it would help tackle illegal immigration by making it harder for people without a right to work in the UK to get a job, while also making it easier for Brits to access services, it seems many people are not buying the idea.

Rolling back on plans to make the ID cards compulsory does not mean they are being scrapped altogether, however.