Will ‘all UK citizens’ have to have digital ID?

While announcing the government’s plans to roll out digital IDs on BBC Breakfast last Friday, the culture secretary Lisa Nandy said “all UK citizens will have a digital ID” and that “all UK citizens will have to have it”.

When asked again later in the interview about people who weren’t seeking a new job she also said “we’re going to make sure that everybody’s got one”.

The government has pledged to roll out digital IDs by the end of this parliament. But its plans will not mean all UK citizens “have to have” digital ID.

A government source confirmed to Full Fact that the policy would require anyone wanting to work in the UK—including UK and non-UK citizens—to have a digital ID, which would be used by employers to check they have the right to work in the UK.

But they also confirmed that people who were not working—for example, pensioners—would not be required to have one.

This matches reporting by media outlets including the BBC and the Times.

A press release issued by Number 10 states that digital ID “will be mandatory as a means of proving your Right to Work” and that the scheme would “in time make it simpler to apply for services like driving licences, childcare and welfare”. However, Full Fact has confirmed that unlike for employment, digital ID would not be mandatory in order to access these other services.

It added that there would be “no requirement for individuals to carry their ID or be asked to produce it”.

The government has said the digital ID “will be stored directly on people’s own device - just like contactless payment cards or the NHS App today”. While full details of how the process of obtaining a digital ID are still to be confirmed, Full Fact understands it’s likely people will have to follow a process to get one.

Ms Nandy also claimed on Sky News that it would be compulsory for people “who come here” wanting to work to show their digital ID, which aligns with what the government has said. But she also added that “for all other UK citizens it will be compulsory to have it but not to show it”—which is not correct, as for those not working it wouldn’t be compulsory to have one.

It’s worth noting however that in another interview on BBC Radio 5 Live Ms Nandy did say that digital IDs would not be mandatory for UK citizens. We’ve contacted Ms Nandy for comment and will update this article if we receive a response.