However, civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch branded the scheme “Orwellian” and urged MPs to reject plans.
Director Silkie Carlo said: “The prospects of enrolling even children into this sprawling biometric ID system is sinister, unjustified and prompts the chilling question of just what Starmer’s government think the digital ID will be used for in the future.
“At a time when parents are taking a critical view of whether children should have smartphones, it is shocking that the government is considering enroling children into this digital ID app.
“We now know that digital IDs could be used for everything from tax and benefits to banking and education — it has all the hallmarks of a sprawling national database that Britain has long rejected.”
The Liberal Democrats said the consultation on offering digital ID to 13-year-olds showed they had been right to warn about “mission creep”.
“It’s frankly sinister, unnecessary, and a clear step towards state overreach,” said the party’s science and technology spokesperson Victoria Collins.
During a trip to India this week, Sir Keir praised the country’s Aadhaar digital ID system, which is far more extensive than the plans initially announced for the UK and involves the storing of biometric data, as a “massive success”.
He signalled Britain could use the technology for services like banking, pointing to New Delhi’s scheme as an example, and said ministers must “make the case” for the “huge benefits” the scheme could offer.
No 10 said Britain’s system would not necessarily copy India’s biometric data usage and signalled the UK scheme would be run by the public sector.
Other countries that already have digital ID systems include Estonia, Demark and Spain, as well as Canada, Australia and Japan.
The European Union is introducing the Digital Identity (eID) Wallet, which all member states will be required to roll out to citizens by the end of 2026.
Digital ID schemes are also being piloted in non-EU countries Norway, Iceland, and Ukraine.