In recent weeks, I have received a large amount of correspondence from constituents following the Prime Minister’s surprise announcement of the Government’s plan to introduce a mandatory Digital ID scheme. I am very grateful to the hundreds of people who have written to me and I wanted to take the time to set out why I am against these measures.
Given the significance and the strength of local feeling on this issue, I feel that it is important for me to be absolutely clear: I have serious concerns about this plan and I will oppose it in Parliament. The British people have always rejected mandatory ID cards, and the previous Government made a clear and firm choice not to go down this path. Despite their election manifesto making no mention of these plans, the current Government has decided differently.
We all know that a single, Government-issued digital identity for every citizen is not necessary to deliver online public services, verify immigration status, or check eligibility for work or benefits. All of those things should happen currently. When we were in office, we took a different approach - building a simple and secure online portal for accessing Government services, while preserving the right to access services in person or on paper. That work was already producing results: faster passport and driving licence applications, and straightforward right-to-work and right-to-rent checks, all without compromising privacy or individual freedom.
A mandatory Digital ID system would come at a huge financial cost, risk the start of a slippery slope of encroachment into personal freedoms, and bring significant data security risks. As we know, the Government maintains that Digital ID is necessary to tackle illegal immigration, making it harder to work, rent, and therefore remain in the UK illegally. Of course, with it already being against the law to employ or rent a property to a person who is in our country illegally and indeed to enter Britain without authorisation, I know it remains unclear to many who have contacted me why people who already choose to break the law would be stopped by ID in a digital form rather than physical.
The Government has yet to make a clear case for why law-abiding British citizens going about their daily lives should be forced to carry Digital ID. Just because there are similar requirements and systems in other countries is never a good enough reason to impose restrictions on the British people.
Whether you also oppose these measures, like the overwhelming majority of those who have written to me, or not, I would encourage you to contribute to the public consultation the Government has committed to launching later this year. Many may also know of the ongoing Parliamentary petition which has so far been signed by almost 3 million people, including nearly 5,000 people in our area. You can sign the petition via the petition.parliament.uk website.
There are significant questions still yet to be answered, and I will be working alongside my colleagues in Parliament to ensure that the Government is held to account on their plans every step of the way.
