Plans to introduce mandatory digital ID for anyone wanting to work in the UK have been scaled back.
Sir Keir Starmer had proposed introducing a legal requirement for anyone needing to provide their right to work, or rent, in the UK.
The policy announcement, first revealed by The i Paper, was proposed by the government as part of a wider plan to tackle illegal working.
When it was announced by the Prime Minister last year, there was political pushback from those in his own party who were concerned over public reaction to a mandatory ID scheme.
It was not included in the election manifesto the Labour Party was elected on the back of.
The politically controversial plans have now been watered down, it is understood.
While there will still be compulsory digital right to work checks, this will not necessarily take the form of the new “digital ID,” due to be introduced by 2029.
Starmer had initially said the ID would be mandatory for anyone wishing to work in the country.
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But the changes mean people will be able to use a digitised form of any other document usually used to prove eligibility.
Using digital ID will, instead, be optional.
No10 sources said the government had always intended to consult widely on the plans before settling on a final policy.
And they said the change in stance was an acknowledgement that not everyone had access to a smartphone, where the digital ID would be stored.
The public consultation has not yet been launched and is due to open later this year.
Primary legislation is required to launch the new ID scheme, meaning it could take at least several months to get through Parliament.
“We are committed to mandatory digital right to work checks,” a government source said.
“We have always been clear that details on the digital ID scheme will be set out following a full public consultation, which will launch shortly.
“Digital ID will make everyday life easier for people, ensuring public services are more personal, joined-up, and effective, while also remaining inclusive.”
The decision has been interpreted by critics of the government as the latest in a series of embarrassing U-turns on policy.
It comes after the Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who is understood to have leadership ambitions, told a conference today that ministers should aim to make the right decision the first time round.
Speaking at the Institute for Government conference in London, Streeting said: “In the NHS, we have an initiative called Girft – get it right first time.
“That should be our new year’s resolution for 2026 – let’s try and get it right first time.”
Reacting to the news, Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office Spokesperson Lisa Smart said: “It was clear right from the start this was a proposal doomed to failure, that would have cost obscene amounts of taxpayers money to deliver absolutely nothing.”
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Meanwhile, the Conservatives have accused Starmer of “spinelessness”.
Tory shadow Cabinet Office minister Mike Wood said: “While we welcome the scrapping of any mandatory identification, this is yet another humiliating U-turn from the Government.
“Keir Starmer’s spinelessness is becoming a pattern, not an exception.
“What was sold as a tough measure to tackle illegal working is now set to become yet another costly, ill-thought-out experiment abandoned at the first sign of pressure from Labour’s backbenches.”
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