Why does Keir Starmer really want Digital ID?
October 4, 2025
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0:53Are Labour a continuation of the Tories? | UK Politics | The New Statesman
10:04Now PlayingWhy does Keir Starmer really want Digital ID?
YouTube Description
as posted by the channelWith digital ID, Keir Starmer is borrowing a policy from Tony Blair. It's supposedly about illegal immigration - but are there other benefits for the government?
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Keir Starmer has announced a national identity card programme with the explicit aim of making the UK economy less attractive for irregular migrants trying to find work in the grey economy.
So Tony Blair is back, in more ways than one. On policy: his 2006 proposal for a programme of national ID cards, which ultimately failed, has been revived. As for the politics: this is a bit of positioning that could have come straight from the Blair playbook.
Why? Because Nigel Farage’s Reform will oppose this measure on grounds of civil liberties, just as they did with the Online Safety Act. The fury of his supporters online (and many of them are very online) is already becoming clear.
Rachel Cunliffe and Anoosh Chakelian answer listener questions about the proposals for digital ID.
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Why Keir Starmer wants digital ID cards now
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