Sir Keir Starmer U-turns on mandatory ID cards after backlash

The Prime Minister has abandoned his plans for mandatory digital ID cards to verify someone’s right to work in the UK.

The ID cards will now be optional when they are introduced in 2029, with workers given the choice of whether to use other documents to verify their identity instead.

A Government source told The Times that the compulsory element ‘was stopping conversation about what digital IDs could be used for generally’.

They said: ‘Stepping back from mandatory-use cases will deflate one of the main points of contention. We do not want to risk there being cases of some 65-year-old in a rural area being barred from working because he hasn’t installed the ID.’

This is a breaking news story.. More to follow.