{"id":608401,"date":"2026-05-28T11:52:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T11:52:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/608401\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T11:52:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T11:52:09","slug":"mps-urge-uk-government-to-rebuild-trust-following-digital-id-launch-fiasco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/608401\/","title":{"rendered":"MPs urge UK government to rebuild trust following digital ID launch \u2018fiasco\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\tBy Sarah Wray<\/a> on 28\/05\/2026 | Updated on 28\/05\/2026<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A <\/p>\n

Image by ar130405 from Pixabay<\/p>\n

The potential of digital ID will only be realised if public confidence is restored, the UK\u2019s Home Affairs Committee has warned, saying the scheme\u2019s initial launch had been \u201cbotched\u201d and a \u201cfiasco\u201d.<\/p>\n

When prime minister Keir Starmer announced the digital ID scheme in September 2025<\/a>, he said it would be mandatory for those working in the UK, to prevent people from slipping into the UK\u2019s \u201cshadow economy\u201d and living in the country \u201cillegally\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will not be able to work in the United Kingdom if you do not have a digital ID. It\u2019s as simple as that,\u201d he said at the time. However, the compulsory element of the scheme was rolled back in January following backlash, including an online petition that garnered nearly three million signatures.<\/p>\n

A report from the cross-party Home Affairs Committee concluded that digital ID has potential but that: \u201cThe prime minister\u2019s initial announcement of mandatory digital ID was rushed, poorly thought through and failed to make a convincing case for the introduction of mandatory digital ID.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more:\u00a0As digital ID adoption grows, government leaders share lessons learned and future plans<\/a><\/p>\n

Public \u2018spooked\u2019<\/p>\n

Dame Karen Bradley, chair of the Home Affairs Committee, said: \u201cThe government\u2019s early attempts to set out its plans for digital ID were nothing short of a fiasco. To the public this announcement came out of the blue and made little sense.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt raised fears of government over-reach into people\u2019s lives and was so poorly thought out that they had few answers to ease these concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added that the concept of digital ID had been broadly \u201cwell received\u201d by the public before they were \u201cspooked\u201d by the government\u2019s \u201cpoorly thought out and badly explained plans\u201d.<\/p>\n

Read more: How to build digital credentials that work in government<\/a><\/p>\n

Digital ID consultation<\/p>\n

It was confirmed in the King\u2019s Speech earlier this month that the government will proceed with the introduction of digital ID via the Digital Access to Services Bill.<\/p>\n

The government will make digital ID available via a smartphone app<\/a> to\u00a0\u201cthose who want it\u201d but has said that existing routes to accessing public services will stay in place for \u201cthose who prefer them\u201d.\u202f<\/p>\n

Launching an eight-week digital ID consultation<\/a> in March, the government pitched digital ID as a way to end citizens\u2019 \u201creliance on multiple logins and paper documents to access the support they need\u201d and save them \u201ctime and effort\u201d.\u202f<\/p>\n

It also said it would establish a \u2018people\u2019s panel on digital ID\u2019, bringing together\u00a0citizens\u00a0from\u00a0across the country and from different backgrounds to take part in \u201cin-depth discussions\u201d and share\u00a0\u201cdifferent views on the proposals and\u2026 agree ways to move forward\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more: Digital ID and civil service reform among UK government\u2019s legislative priorities as pressure mounts on PM<\/a><\/p>\n

No \u2018quick fix\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cMinisters have rightly gone back to the drawing board and begun the difficult task of rebuilding trust in what has the potential to be a valuable tool for government,\u201d said Bradley.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will not be a quick-fix solution,\u201d she added. \u201cEach element of its future digital ID strategy must have clearly defined aims, a comprehensive plan for delivery and strong safeguards. Any future mistakes might prove fatal for public confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more:\u00a0Digital identity dilemmas \u2013 and how governments are working to overcome them<\/a><\/p>\n

Sign up:\u00a0The Global Government Forum newsletter provides the latest news, interviews and features on AI, data, workforce, and sustainability in government<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Sarah Wray on 28\/05\/2026 | Updated on 28\/05\/2026 Image by ar130405 from Pixabay The potential of digital…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":608402,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[59,57,58,50,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-608401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-kingdom","tag-gb","tag-great-britain","tag-greatbritain","tag-news","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=608401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608401\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/608402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=608401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=608401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=608401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}