UK to require digital ID for all workers in crackdown on illegal immigration

For too many years, it's been too easy for people to come here

slip into the shadow economy and remain here illegally. That's Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveiling a new plan to require a digital ID for the right to work in the UK

The government says the credential will be free, live on your mobile phone

and act as authoritative proof of identity and residency status. You won't be asked to carry it everywhere

but employers will need to check it before hiring. Downing Street frames this as closing off illegal work and shrinking the shadow economy

while simplifying access to services like driver's licenses, child care, and benefits

Officials say a digital check should also cut forged documents and improve compliance

Critics, including conservatives and civil liberties groups, warn about privacy and surveillance

and questioned whether it will deter dangerous channel crossings. Starmer cast the plan as a pragmatic measure rather than rhetoric

You will not be able to work in the United Kingdom if you do not have digital ID

It's as simple as that. What's next? A public consultation on delivery, inclusion for people without smartphones

and security features like encryption and fast revocation if a phone is lost

The government says this is part of a broader plan for change on borders and illegal working

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