More than 1.6 million people have signed a petition opposing Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s proposal to introduce mandatory digital ID cards in the UK by 2029—a move that critics warn is a “step towards mass surveillance and digital control”.
The petition, one of the fastest-growing in recent years, states: “No one should be forced to register with a state-controlled ID system,” echoing widespread concerns that the scheme would erode privacy and civil liberties. While petitions that surpass 100,000 signatures are considered for debate in parliament, few have succeeded in shifting government policy. Even the record-breaking petition to reverse Brexit, signed by over 6 million people, failed to alter the political course.
But as observers such as GB News contributor Neil Oliver told viewers this misjudgment of the public mood could be the final nail in Keir Starmer’s political coffin: “I’ve been desperately furious about the concept of a digital ID card for a long time, and I’ve been anxious about the possibility of somebody actually daring to bring one forward. But here it is.” Oliver argued the government has gravely misjudged public sentiment. “There’s enough awareness out there in the general population; a sense that there’s going to be mass refusal, mass non-compliance. This government has rolled the dice… and it’s going to be a disaster for them. It could conceivably be what brings them down.”
Oliver warned that digital IDs would allow authorities to link and monitor every aspect of an individual’s life in real time, from health and finances to social media posts and shopping habits. “Everything about us, everything from health, everything about your finances… is brought together by this kind of platform. And everything can be used in real time to make judgments about you, about what you propose to do. Whether you get permission to put fuel in your car, buy a plane ticket, buy a steak in a supermarket… a decision can be made in advance,” he said.
“Anybody that submits to this, anybody that accepts a digital ID, is slapping handcuffs around their own wrists. It’s the end of freedom. It’s the end of choice. It’s the worst possible decision that any freedom-loving person could make.”
Oliver argued that digital IDs, once seen as politically toxic, are now being justified by the government as a solution to problems like increased migration. “All people have to do is not comply, and this thing falls flat on its face. And I am convinced that is what’s going to happen,” he said.
Supporters of the plan, however, insist digital IDs are a practical necessity. Peter Edwards, former editor of Labour List, urged caution before dismissing the proposal: “I’d be wary of dismissing it before a bill has even been introduced. Of course, that bill could collapse under the weight of objections, but I think it will go through in some form.”
Edwards challenged the notion of a surveillance “dystopia”, pointing to Estonia, where digital IDs are widely used without the abuses critics fear. “All the data that we voluntarily hand over to the state already to make our lives easier—NHS appointments, tax-free childcare, benefits, and so on. We voluntarily log into stuff and hand over our details to make our life easier,” he said.
He also dismissed claims of a post-Covid “slippery slope” towards greater government control: “All the Covid restrictions have been swept away. That argument that it’s a slippery slope to more control collapses,” Edwards argued.
Opposition to digital ID cards is coming from across the political spectrum. Both Jeremy Corbyn and Nigel Farage have voiced their objections, setting the stage for a rare alliance between left and right to resist the government’s proposals.
As the petition continues to gain signatures, ministers face mounting pressure to defend their plans—and to convince a sceptical public that digital ID cards will not come at the expense of personal freedom.
