Labour MPs berate Starmer over digital ID climbdown

Backbenchers lash out at 'complete shambles' of numerous policy reversals amid increasing talk of a leadership contest

- MILLIE COOKE DAVID MADDOX

Labour MPs are questioning whether Sir Keir Starmer can hold on to power after he performed yet another U-turn as prime minister by ditching plans for mandatory digital ID. The government has reversed course on policy issues at least 11 times so far, including by raising the inheritance tax relief threshold for farmers after months of protest and scrapping a raft of benefits cuts under the threat of a backbench revolt.

The latest decision comes amid growing concern over the direction of Sir Keir's beleaguered Labour government in the face of disastrous approval ratings, with the prime minister facing mounting questions about his position.

Sir Keir last year said Labour would introduce a digital ID system that would be voluntary in most cases but mandatory for right-to-work checks. However, these plans were thrown into confusion on Tuesday evening after it emerged that ministers were looking at rowing back on the compulsory element, allowing other digital documents to be used for right-to-work checks.

The U-turn, which has sparked a fresh wave of criticism from Labour backbenchers who believe the prime minister's position is at risk, came just hours after health secretary Wes Streeting told a conference in London that the government should aim to "get it right first time".

One despairing minister told The Independent: "Nobody knows what is going to happen next or what we are even doing." A senior Labour backbencher added: "It just feels like the government is in freefall at the moment. It is a complete shambles. It feels like this government is just holding on until May, and hoping that they can get through the moment of danger and things somehow turn around."