Support for digital ID plummets after Starmer announces policy

Support for digital ID has collapsed since Sir Keir Starmer announced a national rollout as Government policy last week, according to polling.

More In Common research showed strong support for a national digital ID card system in June, with 53% of Britons in favour and 19% opposed.

But support has dropped off dramatically since the Prime Minister announced plans to proceed with the scheme, with 45% now saying they are opposed, and 31% in favour.

This means net support for the scheme has shifted from plus 35% in June to minus 14% over the weekend.

Opposition is strong also, with nearly a third of respondents (32%) saying they are strongly opposed to the introduction of a national digital ID scheme.

Sir Keir announced on Friday that the new ID system would be introduced in 2029, and would be mandatory for people working in the UK as part of a bid to tackle illegal migration.

Smartphones

Welsh Liberal Democrat MP, David Chadwick warned that the proposals for a mandatory digital ID system risk crossing a red line on civil liberties.

He said: “The idea of a mandatory digital ID system crosses a red line. It risks undermining long-standing British civil liberties, while doing little to fix the real problems with the immigration system.

“Digital tools should empower individuals, not hand even more control to government.

“A system like this would inevitably deepen digital exclusion and hit the most marginalised hardest – including older people, disabled people and those living in poverty, who may have limited access to technology or low digital literacy.

“And all this comes with a multi-billion-pound price tag. That money would be far better spent clearing the asylum backlog with properly resourced processing centres, or improving the NHS for everyone.

“The public have repeatedly rejected these kinds of schemes, and with good reason. The Liberal Democrats stopped them once, and we stand ready to do so again.”

Plans

The photo IDs would be stored on smartphones in a similar way to digital bank cards and would contain information on the holder’s name, residency status, date of birth and nationality.

Ministers have said the ID will only be required as proof of the right to work, but there is scope for its use to be widened in future to access public services.

It is expected to be subject to consultation and may require legislation.

More than two-and-a-half million people have signed a petition opposing the plans and calling them “a step towards mass surveillance and digital control”.

More In Common suggested there was “good evidence that dissatisfaction with the Prime Minister and the Government has caused the collapse” in support, noting that 58% of those who think Sir Keir is doing a bad job oppose the introduction of digital ID, while 20% support their introduction.

By contrast, 72% of those who think the Prime Minister is doing a good job support the scheme, compared with 14% who oppose.

Unpopular

Meanwhile, of 2024 Reform voters, 55% supported the scheme in June compared with 23% who opposed, which has now flipped to 62% opposed and 24% in support.

Similarly, of 2024 Conservative voters, 65% supported the scheme in June compared with 13% who opposed, whereas now 44% oppose it compared with 34% who support it.

The June sample was taken between June 27 and 30, surveying 2,030 people. The September sample was taken between September 26 and 29, surveying 2,012 people. Participants were from England, Scotland and Wales.

These data come as Sir Keir’s approval ratings fall to a record low, with a recent survey suggesting he is now the most unpopular prime minister on record.

The poll by Ipsos on Saturday found that 13% of voters were satisfied with Sir Keir, with 79% dissatisfied – a net rating of -66.

This is the lowest satisfaction rating recorded by the pollster for any prime minister going back to 1977, worse than previous lows recorded by Rishi Sunak months before the 2024 general election and John Major in August 1994.