Britain’s £1.8bn digital ID system will only be available for a handful of uses in the next election, including paying vehicle tax and right to work checks, the minister in charge of the project has said.
Darren Jones, the prime minister’s chief secretary, said on Tuesday that he eventually wanted the app to be used for everything from claiming benefits to proving the right to vote, but that most of this would not happen until the next parliament.
Launching the government’s consultation on the project, Jones admitted its initial use would be relatively limited despite costing as much annually as the entire Cabinet Office budget last year.
He said: “There will be some simple things to be introduced at the end of parliament: perhaps tax disc payments; some administrative tasks; the right to work check will be available if you want to use it from 2029.
“But the big prize – when you look at things like the childcare system or your pension statement or HMRC data – is really a prize for the next parliament, because we’re going to have to take some time to get it up and running in the first place.”
Jones said on Tuesday that the government would spend the next eight weeks consulting the public about what they would use a digital ID for and what concerns they had about its use.
When announcing the project last year, Keir Starmer initially said it would be used as a mandatory right-to-work document to prevent migrants from working in the country illegally.
Since then, however, its scope has changed considerably: ministers abandoned the idea of making the ID card mandatory and instead emphasized its use to improve public services.
Jones said Tuesday that he would help end the injustice of “aggressive” people being able to access certain services because they have the patience and energy to navigate government bureaucracy.
He said: “Right now, people who have the time, the means or the ability to move on often end up at the front of the queue, because they end up being a bit of a pain to the person on the other end of the phone.
“The point of this is that it should be easy, simple and accessible to everyone.”
Part of the government’s consultation will involve a “people’s panel” of 100 people randomly selected from across the country, who will have the opportunity to vote on the plan at the end of the process.
Ministers say they have been inspired by countries like Estonia, where people use a single digital ID to access medical records, sign documents online, apply for benefits and make tax payments.
For now, the rollout in the UK will be much more limited, and ministers are worried about the reaction of voters. Polls show that 40% of people oppose the idea, compared to 32% who support it.
Jones said if future governments wanted to extend its application beyond what is developed by the time of the next election, they would have to return to parliament to secure support.
He said: “I hope to bring in a mechanism that means the government and any future government will have to go back to parliament for a check, balance and approval of every service that is included in the app in the future.”
