Britons fear safety of Labour's digital ID plan as poll shows broad distrust

A YouGov poll for the civil liberties group Big Brother Watch found that 63% of Britons do not trust the government to keep personal information secure in a digital ID scheme being advanced by Labour leader Keir Starmer. The party is expected to announce compulsory digital ID cards for all residents at its Labour conference in Liverpool next weekend, the notes indicate, as part of a broader push to address the small boats crisis.

The survey of 2,153 adults underscores widespread safety concerns at a moment when the government has faced a string of cyber-attacks against national infrastructure and a large data leak involving more than 18,000 people who had applied for asylum under the Afghan resettlement scheme, with those events fueling fears about data security. Matthew Feeney, advocacy manager of BBW, told the Daily Mail that the poll shows people fear data would be stolen in a cyber-attack and added that a digital ID scheme would be a civil liberties disaster and a significant cybersecurity risk. He urged the government to abandon plans for a digital ID scheme immediately.

[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER]

The Prime Minister is said to be considering the idea because he is described as 'desperately thrashing around' to find a solution to the small boats crisis. The plans would see digital IDs issued to all people legally entitled to reside in Britain and would be used for employment verification and rental agreements. The concept of ID cards traces back to Tony Blair's time as prime minister and remains supported by the Labour Right, while opponents on the Left warn that future governments could misuse the power.

In Parliament and on social media, critics have raised civil liberties concerns. Conservative MP Andrew Griffith warned that civil liberties would be at risk if a digital ID is implemented, writing that 'a government that sought prison for tweets cannot be trusted with more control' and that 'a state that can't run the NHS IT system or secure our borders shouldn't be trusted to hold the keys to every citizen's identity.'

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey signaled an openness to rethinking the party's position, saying at the Lib Dem annual conference in Bournemouth that he would consider the idea provided freedoms were not curtailed. Rebecca Vincent, BBW interim director, stressed that 'no one voted for this, it was not in the Labour party manifesto, and there has been no public consultation' and warned that mandatory digital ID would fundamentally reverse the nature of the relationship with the state, turning Britain into a checkpoint society where law-abiding people would be burdened with proving themselves to go about everyday life.

The discussion comes as Labour seeks to frame the issue as part of a broader strategy to manage security and immigration challenges, while opponents warn that such a system could erode civil liberties and leave personal data vulnerable. The government has not yet published final details, and the party has signaled that any rollout would be subject to debate and scrutiny at forthcoming events. The issue remains a live political topic as lawmakers weigh the balance between security, efficiency, and individual rights.