London (Reuters)-The British government said on Friday that it will require all employees to have a digital identity document, the latest attempt by Prime Minister Keir Strmer to combat illegal migration and reduce the threat of populist party reformist.
In speaking at the action summit for global progress along the leaders of Canada, Australia and Iceland, Stmerr said his left -wing labor government, as well as others, has been “moving” in discussing voter concerns about immigration.
This has allowed subtitles such as the British reformist party to win popularity, Stmerer said, recognizing that the party led by the Brexit Nigel Farage veteran will probably be the main labor opponent in the next election, scheduled for 2029.
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“This is why today I am announcing that this government will make it mandatory a new free digital identification for the right to work until the end of this legislature,” he said.
British right parties cause “toxic division”
“In the United Kingdom… we have a right -wing proposal that we have never had before in this country… So the battle of our times is among the patriotic national renewal… versus something that is becoming a toxic division.”
Research shows that immigration is one of the main concerns of British voters, after cost of living, and Stmerer feels strong pressure to prevent people from entering illegally in the country crossing the sea in small boats from France.
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But his most recent plan attracted criticism from political opponents.
“It is laughable that those who are already breaking the immigration law suddenly comply with it, or that digital identities have any impact on illegal work, which thrives with cash payments,” said a reformist party spokesman, who is leading opinion polls.
The government said digital identification would be maintained on people’s cell phones and would become a mandatory part of the checks that employers should do when hiring employees.
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Over time, it would also be used to provide access to services such as day care centers, social assistance and access to tax records.
Identity wallets are relatively common in other parts of Europe, including France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain.
The United Kingdom, which has a bad history in the delivery of major IT projects on time and budget, said it would use the best aspects of digital IDs used in Estonia, Denmark, Australia and India on its project.
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Most British supports ID cards
More than half of the British – 57% – supports a national identity card scheme, according to a survey by Ipsos in July.
However, about three out of ten are concerned with the fact that personal data is used without permission, followed by concerns about selling information to private companies and security violations, according to Ipsos.
Labor tried to introduce an identity card when they were in power in the 2000s, but the plan was abandoned due to concerns about civil freedom.
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Identity cards were abolished in the UK after World War II, and British usually use documents such as passports and driver’s licenses to prove their identity.
Ireland nationalist politicians from Northern Ireland, where many have Irish passports instead of British and the symbols of British dominance cause divisions, also criticized the stmerus plan. The nationalist prime minister, Michelle O’Neill, called him “ridiculous and badly thought.”
(Report by William James and Paul Sandle; Additional report by Amanda Ferguson and Elizabeth Piper)
