Starmer to study India's ID scheme while in Mumbai

Keir Starmer is to examine India's digital ID system on his visit to Mumbai as a potential model for the UK, praising the controversial system as a “massive success”.

- Jessica Elgot

Speaking on his two-day trip to Mumbai, where he met an expert on India’s digital ID system, Starmer defended the introduction of a similar measure in the UK, saying he believes the rollout of a voluntary system could be expanded to school applications, mortgages and driving licences.

Starmer met Nandan Nilekani, the non-exec chair of the tech company Infosys, to discuss the speed of the rollout in India and the transformation of the benefits system - which has cut bureaucracy but also caused significant controversy over the exclusion of some minorities.

The Indian ID scheme called Aadhaar has been rolled out over the past 15 years to almost all of the country’s 1.4bn citizens.

Starmer’s spokesman said the meeting was not about a potential commercial arrangement with Infosys - and that the government aimed to build its own version of the scheme in the public sector.

But the interest in the Indian scheme shown by the PM will be taken as another sign that the government eventually hopes the ID scheme will be part of the UK benefits system.

Speaking to reporters en route to Mumbai, Starmer said he hoped digital IDs, which have plummeted in popularity since his announcement, would regain public confidence because of the convenience they could provide.