Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
The government risks losing support over its proposals for a digital ID, Labor MPs They have said so, because they have raised concerns about the impact on civil liberties and the costs.
Nadia Whittome, richard bergCharlotte Nichols and Stella Creasy Everyone questioned how necessary the IDs were, and whether the government could spend the money better.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall Said digital ID will only be mandatory for employers to check right to work, as the government bids to crack down on illegal working.
However, Ms Kendall said it could improve access to public services for those who want it.
Meanwhile, individuals won’t face sanctions, only employers, and police will never demand to see ID, Ms. Kendall said.
He said the government had learned from countries such as Estonia and Denmark that already used IDs, and allowed people to “tell their story once” when dealing with public services.
MPs heard that a consultation would begin before the end of the year, as they were told any system would be built “in-house”.
Ms Kendall said: “When you look at other countries and what they’re doing, it really makes the government fit the people, rather than fitting people into the government and its various services, and I think that’s a big advantage.”
However, Ms Whittome (Nottingham East) warned the Government it risked “wasting political capital”.
She said: “I don’t know how many doors I’ve knocked on in my 12 years as a Labor member, but I know not a single person has ever told me that they really need mandatory digital ID to better their life, their community, this country.
“It will not deal with irregular functioning, it undermines civil liberties, it is divisive among the public and will make no difference to people’s lives.
“So I ask the Secretary of State, why are we doing this? Why are we wasting political capital and public money on this instead of focusing on the issues that are actually affecting our constituents.
“I’m worried this is another big mistake.”
His party colleague Mr Bergen (Leeds East) said: “Given the threat that digital IDs pose to civil liberties, our data security and the handing over of data to US tech giants, I strongly oppose digital IDs.
“However, isn’t this really a huge waste of money, and shouldn’t the government be focusing on what is the number one priority for people across the country, which is dealing with the cost-of-living crisis, and shouldn’t the money be better spent protecting civil liberties?”
Ms Nicholls (Warrington North) said: “I have been contacted by a large number of constituents in recent weeks who have a healthy skepticism that digital IDs will make a significant difference to tackling illegal immigration, which I share.”
He asked Ms Kendall to give concrete examples of how the ID could be used by the public.
Ms Kendall replied: “I’m confident that in the future there will be a number of important voluntary ways in which people can get better access to services and support, and we will consult fully on that when we come forward with those detailed proposals.”
Despite being pressed on this by Ms Creasy (Walthamstow), Ms Kendall refused to say how much it cost.
Ms Creasy said she had seen figures of the scheme costing £1 billion to £2 billion to set up, then £100 million a year to run it.
He also said that the cost of the data breach could be 1.1% of GDP.
Ms Creasy said: “(Ms Kendall) said it would be free. Ultimately, the taxpayer will have to pay for it.”
He added: “Can she give us, if not at least a big figure of the capital and revenue costs she is projecting?”
Ms Kendall replied: “I think we also need to look at the potential benefits of this in terms of savings from cracking down on fraud, in terms of making services more effective and efficient, and obviously the final cost of this will depend on the design and build, which we are consulting on.”
The Conservatives claimed that the plan would “fundamentally alter the balance of power between citizen and state”.
Shadow Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Julia Lopez said: “(Sir Keir Starmer) knows it won’t stop the boats, and when Britons are forced to have ID as illegal migration continues unabated, it will only confirm fears of the two-tier society, fueling division and conspiracy theories that he so arrogantly claims is the antidote.”
He added: “This isn’t about Luddites versus modernists. It’s about the fact that Labor can’t resist its big fat socialist dreams – centralized databases, state mandates, big money, the exclusion of private sector expertise. Why create this honeypot for hackers?”
Responding, Ms Kendall said: “Well, this is definitely the first time I’ve been called a ‘big fat socialist’.”
Former Defense Minister Andrew Murrison said 3 million people had signed an online petition against the policy.
Ms Kendall replied: “I think getting government services to talk to each other and try to work more effectively is what people want.”