UK digital ID plan raises privacy claims

Plans for a new nationwide UK digital ID are sparking widespread public concern, but some critics, including far-right politicians, are fuelling fears with unproven claims that it will be used to boost government control over people's lives.

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They warn that the digital ID will be used to store data on vaccinations and carbon footprint and limit access to flying and food, which the government has vehemently denied.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in September said the ID card would be introduced by 2029. The government has said it will not be mandatory but will be required to prove the right to work.

Nigel Farage, the leader of anti-immigration party Reform, claimed on TV channel GB News that medical data would soon be added and those unvaccinated would be treated as "second-class citizens".