ID cards show Starmer is taking the fight to Reform

One of the main arguments put forward by the government for its digital ID card proposal seems to be: “If Estonia can do it, why not Britain?” The answer could be that the former Soviet republic is rather better at large-scale IT projects than the United Kingdom, which has – to put it politely – a mixed success in the field.

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But assuming that the scheme is capable of being delivered “in this parliament” as the prime minister promises, and can justify the as-yet unspecified expenditure, there is an argument for its introduction. Yet many substantive questions remain.

According to the scant detail offered by Sir Keir Starmer, this digital ID scheme is principally about detecting and preventing “illegal migrants” from taking paid employment. Digital IDs will be mandatory for those seeking work and, presumably, those offering employment, who will have to check them. The aim is explicitly to stop such migrant workers from earning a wage. This would weaken one of the main “pull factors” that makes Britain an attractive prospect - plentiful under-regulated casual jobs, the “grey economy”.

That is, as it happens, one of the main issues that the French authorities raise when the British complain about the flow of people crossing the Channel; France, where possession of a national identity card is a requisite, may be a safe country in which to claim asylum, but it is much more difficult to get a job.

As Sir Keir himself puts it: “It is too easy for people to come here, slip into the shadow economy and remain here illegally.” His speech yesterday marked a distinct change in time and language on immigration. For example, he now uses the term “illegal migrants” rather than “irregular”, and freely renounces even his own recent record on the issue.