Why Conservatives Oppose Mandatory Digital ID

Today, Julia Lopez, MP for Hornchurch & Upminster, writes in The Havering Daily on why the Conservatives oppose Mandatory Digital ID.

The government has announced plans to introduce a mandatory national digital ID system, but we believe this is the wrong approach for Britain. Keir Starmer made his announcement three weeks ago, when parliament was in recess. It was, in my view, an attempt to divert attention from the growing China spy scandal and discontent with his leadership from within his own ranks. It was a very cynical move that meant that we only got a chance to scrutinise the digital ID plan for the first time on Monday. 

Tech Secretary, Liz Kendall, gave a government statement on the plan, and I replied for the Opposition in my role as Shadow Tech Secretary. I have since been inundated by supportive comments from people across the country. Here are some of the points I made:

It Won’t Stop Illegal Migration

The Prime Minister claims this scheme will address illegal migration, but it won’t stop Channel crossings, as illegal migrants tend to work in the black economy or as subcontractors for delivery companies. Right to work checks already exist, and there’s an e-visa system for migrants, but those things are not as widely enforced as they need to be.  

What it will do is force every law-abiding British citizen to have a government-issued digital identity if they want to work. When the boats keep coming but ordinary people are forced down that route, it will only fuel distrust in government. 

Mandation is Wrong

Liz Kendall talked on Monday about digital ID as the way to improve online services – that is a separate issue. We don’t need a mandatory digital ID to deliver good online services. When we were in government, we were already developing a single portal for accessing government services that kept people in control of their own data. We delivered fast, simple passport and driving licence applications without mandating digital identities for everyone. 

Right-to-work and right-to-rent checks already exist. What’s needed is proper enforcement.  

The issue Labour is deliberately ignoring is CHOICE. If people want ways to verify their identity online, then government should facilitate that, but there are a bunch of different ways that can be done, which minimise data sharing and give people control and choice. Making digital identity mandatory changes the balance of power between citizen and state – that is not right.  

Security risks: The Prime Minister has used Estonia and India as examples of good ID systems, but both of those systems have been breached. In India’s case, citizen data was sold on the dark web.  

Digital exclusion: What happens to people without internet access? The government has actually deprioritised broadband rollout, and their digital inclusion action plan lacks any meaningful action. Liz Kendall suggested that only companies will be punished if they employ people who don’t have a digital ID. What she ignores is that people will be punished too, because they will effectively be excluded from the workplace if they make a choice to refuse a digital ID.

Cost: Liz Kendall refused to say how much any of this will cost. She was asked over and over, and kept ducking the question.

Freedom: A mandatory ID fundamentally changes the relationship between citizen and state. In a free society, the burden of proof has always rested with government—to justify its actions, to prove wrongdoing, to earn our trust. But mandatory digital ID reverses that. Now every citizen must prove their identity to access basic rights like the right to work.  

And yet Labour suggests it wants to extend this type of mandate into more areas of our lives, and even 13-year-olds might be included.

Our Approach 

Conservatives believe in empowering citizens, not controlling them. We support voluntary identity verification for specific tasks, where users consent and only share necessary information. We back private sector innovation in identity services, not a government monopoly. We believe paper-based or in-person solutions should remain, so people have a choice.  

We oppose mandatory digital ID cards in principle and in practice. If we thought they were necessary, we would have introduced them in government. We made a clear choice not to – and we stand by that choice today. 

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