What was claimed
Keir Starmer has announced that all Labour MPs and the Royal Family will be exempt from digital ID.
Our verdict
Mr Starmer has not said this. A government spokesperson confirmed digital ID will only be mandatory to prove your right to work, and that no exemptions have been announced, though whether MPs and royals will end up needing it isn't entirely clear.
Social media posts claiming that Sir Keir Starmer has announced that members of parliament and the Royal Family will be exempt from digital ID have been shared thousands of times online.
But this is not true. A government spokesperson confirmed to Full Fact that no exemptions have been announced and that digital ID will only be mandatory to prove people’s right to work.
Some posts claim Mr Starmer said the exemptions are because of a “security risk”. Others say the exemptions will apply to MPs in general, while some specify “Labour MPs”.
But the Prime Minister has not announced any such exemptions.
A Google News search does not show any credible news sources reporting such a policy.
Similarly, searches on Hansard, the record of what is said in Parliament, and gov.uk the official website for the government, don’t produce any evidence of such an announcement since July 2024, when Mr Starmer came into office.
Some examples posted online include a screenshot of a post making the claim published by a satirical Facebook page.
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As we have explained before, under current government plans digital ID would be needed in order to work in the UK, but those who are not looking to work, such as people who are retired, would not be required to have it. So, it would not be mandatory for everyone.
In theory, therefore, members of the Royal Family such as King Charles III would not need digital ID. After all, the King doesn’t need to prove he has a right to work in this country. But that is not the same as an exemption.
As for MPs, a spokesperson for the Electoral Commission told us that in order to stand at a UK Parliamentary general election, a prospective candidate must complete three nomination papers: the nomination form, the home address form and the consent to nomination which states that they are qualified, and not disqualified, from standing.
To qualify they must be at least 18 years old and a British citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland or an eligible Commonwealth citizen.
The Electoral Commission said “currently, candidates are not required to show ID as part of this process”.
We do not know if this will change when digital ID is introduced as mandatory for Right to Work checks. However, there have been no announcements specifically exempting anyone who must prove their right to work, including MPs from all parties, from requiring a digital ID.
The monarch doesn’t need a British passport because it is issued in his name. All other members of the Royal Family, including the Prince of Wales, have passports, however.
And it’s true that the monarch is exempt from some laws in the UK.
The monarch is not legally liable to pay income tax, capital gains tax or inheritance tax, for example, because the relevant enactments do not apply to the Crown. This is also the case for the income from the Duchy of Cornwall which is paid to The Prince of Wales, now Prince William.
However, since 1993, the monarch and the Prince of Wales have voluntarily paid statutory rates of income tax on the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall income and personal investments as set out in a Memorandum of Understanding on Royal Taxation. Other members of the Royal Family are fully liable for tax in the normal way.
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This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as false because a government spokesperson confirmed it has not announced any exemptions.
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