Brit Cards: More Than Another Failed Flirtation With Surveillance

In the latest move to curb immigration fears in the face of Reform UK’s extraordinary polling performances, the government has announced plans to introduce mandatory digital ID cards. The scheme will be rolled out “by the end of parliament,” and has done little to improve the government’s reputation for cracking down on civil liberties.

The digital cards will be needed to prove a person’s right to live and work in the UK but will not have to be carried all the time. Plans published by Labour Together, a think tank with close ties to the current government, suggest these so-called “Brit Cards” will look like an app-based system, similar to the NHS app. Information on the holder’s residency status, name, date of birth, nationality and a photo will be included. Over time, usage of the card could extend to welfare, childcare and tax records.

The government says the scheme will curb illegal immigration by making it harder for people without residency status to find jobs. It is alleged that the absence of a national identity system is a key pull factor for migrants to the UK, as it allows illegal work to continue unmonitored. Announcing the policy, Starmer stated, "You will not be able to work in the United Kingdom if you do not have digital ID. It's as simple as that." 

But, as many critics have argued, employers are already required to check the right-to-work status of any employees, and it is unclear how ID cards would act as an additional barrier. Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative party, has labelled it “a gimmick that will do nothing to stop the boats”. Over 2.8 million people have signed a petition against introducing the policy since the original announcement.

The proposals present several problems for the government. First, for a party of the people, it seems an oversight to ignore the blatant problems with digitisation. The government claims the policy will be inclusive of those without access to technology, but it is unclear how. Surely the government does not intend to purchase a phone for every individual with the right to work, given Starmer’s desperate capitulation to far-right talking points on immigration and welfare reform. That would not align with Starmer’s recent assertion that there will be “no golden ticket” for resettlement in the UK, or his commitment to cut spending on welfare.

Even more glaringly obvious are the issues with privacy. Data firm Palantir, previously linked to human rights abuses by the Israeli Defense Forces, has ruled out involvement in the rollout over concerns the legislation is “undemocratic”. The irony is clear, but it is a damning condemnation nonetheless. Labour is already facing criticism for its handling of ongoing protests regarding the proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist group, with the police arresting 492 protestors in a single day last weekend. Human rights groups have condemned this as police overreach, arguing that it is a violation of the UK’s human rights obligations under inter alia the ECHR. Labour appears to have dropped the ‘defender of human rights’ image with little fanfare.

The public could also be forgiven for feeling a sense of déjà vu, as the issue seems to have plagued successive Labour governments. New Labour’s ill-fated 2006 ID card programme was scrapped after the coalition government was elected, with the Conservative manifesto decrying the policy as “intrusive, ineffective and enormously expensive.”

It should have been expected that at a time where confidence in the government is at a low, the Prime Minister has echoed Enoch Powell in speeches on immigration, and there are increasingly regular cyberattacks on big business, the public was not going to jump at the chance to turn personal information over to a murky digital database. The British public has always been wary of the metaphorical Panopticon, that pervasive fear of constant surveillance. Many have argued it is inherently contradictory to British values of liberty and freedom: acceptable on the European continent, but always best kept at arms’ length. Even at the best of times, the policy would have been a difficult sell. And it is certainly not the best of times, with more Britons seeing Starmer unfavourably (68%) than Reform leader Farage (61%), according to data from August.

Once again, Starmer just can’t seem to get it. In what has been described as a reverse “Midas touch”, the government seems to have a unique talent of tanking the popularity of their policies before they have even been implemented. Back to the drawing board for Keir Starmer, and the next election draws ever closer.

Illustrations: Will Allen/Europinion