The Government’s decision to include Digital ID in the King’s Speech under the so-called “Digital Access to Services Bill” should alarm every worker, every Trade Unionist, and every citizen in England and Wales who values privacy, freedom, and democratic accountability.
For years the Workers of England Union has warned about the dangers of a national digital identity system. We opposed it when it was branded the “Britcard”. We opposed it when it was sold as a tool to tackle illegal immigration. We oppose it now that it is being repackaged as a harmless way to “modernise public services”.
The wording may have changed, but the principle remains the same.
Once the State creates a centralised digital identity system linked to employment, services, banking, travel, housing, and healthcare, it creates the infrastructure for surveillance and control on a scale never before seen in England.
The Government insists the scheme will be voluntary. We have heard that before. History shows that systems introduced as optional quickly become unavoidable. When employers, landlords, banks, insurers, and government agencies all begin demanding digital verification, refusal becomes impossible in practice. A “voluntary” ID can rapidly become a requirement for normal life.
Even the technology sector itself admits the system will be used across employment, finance, travel, retail, and online services. The industry body techUK openly celebrates the fact that digital identity is already used for Right to Work checks, Right to Rent checks, DBS checks, and access to financial services.
Their own figures state the sector already generates over £2 billion annually. That reveals the truth behind the sales pitch. This is not simply about convenience. It is about building a massive new commercial market based on identity verification and personal data.
The Government claims digital ID will “reduce bureaucracy” and make services “simpler, safer and more accessible”. Yet centralising personal information creates enormous risks. Cyber attacks against government departments and major corporations happen constantly. A single compromised digital identity system could expose millions of people across England to fraud, data theft, and impersonation.
The promise of convenience is also being weaponised against the public. We are told this is necessary to “modernise” Britain. But convenience should never come at the expense of liberty. A society where every transaction, every job application, every tenancy agreement, and every interaction with the State requires digital permission is not progress. It is dependence.
The Government also claims existing methods will remain available. Again, experience suggests otherwise. Cashless systems, online-only services, and app-based verification have steadily pushed millions of people across England to the margins, particularly the elderly, disabled, rural communities, and those without reliable internet access. Digital exclusion is real. A modern society should expand choices, not narrow them.
The most concerning aspect is the gradual normalisation of identity checks in everyday life. England has historically rejected national identity cards because they alter the relationship between the individual and State. They shift the burden onto ordinary people to constantly prove who they are simply to participate in society.
The Workers of England Union remains firmly opposed to any national digital identity system.
As Workers of England Union General Secretary Stephen Morris states:
“Digital ID is not about freedom or convenience. It is about creating a system of monitoring and control which future governments, corporations, and institutions will inevitably expand. Working people should never surrender their privacy and liberty in exchange for access to services they already have a right to use.”
The Government may hope that changing the language will calm opposition. It should not. Rebranding Digital ID as “modernisation” does not remove the dangers. The British public rejected compulsory identity systems before, and they must do so again.
Trade unionists, civil liberties groups, and ordinary working people must continue resisting the steady expansion of digital control. Once these systems are embedded into daily life, reversing them becomes almost impossible.
Stephen Morris
General Secretary
Workers of England Union
References
(King’s Speech 2026 briefing documents on the Digital Access to Services Bill UK Government, techUK Digital Identity Programme, Workers of England Union, Scottish Government Scot Account Information, Labour Together report recommending “Britcard”, 2025, Tony Blair Institute reports on digital identity, 2025 and numerous media outlets)
This Article is Tagged under:
UK Government, Digital ID, Digital ID Case
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