Digital ID cards for children as young as 13, government suggests

Children as young as 13 could be given digital ID cards when the proposed new policy becomes law, the government has suggested.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently announced that anyone wanting to work in the UK will require a digital ID, in a bid to crackdown on illegal migration by making it harder for asylum seekers to gain employment in Britain.

The government had previously said all over 16s would be required to have digital ID by 2029, though has now announced that it will consult on whether children as young as 13 should also be included in the scheme.

Explaining why, the The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said employers will be required to check everyone’s digital ID before hiring them and because young teenagers can work part-time, “we need to consult on whether it should be offered to those aged 13 and over”.

Almost 3 million people have now signed a petition demanding the policy is scrapped, but the government has doubled down in its response.

In its response to the petition, the government added: “For clarity, it will not be a criminal offence to not hold a digital ID and police will not be able to demand to see a digital ID as part of a ‘stop and search’.”

Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper defended the idea when speaking to broadcasters on Friday morning, claiming legislating for digital ID is not straying far from the current unregulated system.

“Everybody has forms of digital ID, don’t they… We all have different ways of having to prove who we are,” she told LBC.

“Lots of 13-year-olds already do (have a form of digital ID) and what the department is going to be consulting on is exactly how that should be taken forward.

“I do think that this is the right way forward, to have this standardised process now, and it’s something that we had been already setting out for people who come to work from abroad.”

Critics have said the policy would have very little impact on illegal working, claiming employers happy to employ those without a visa will continue to do so by paying cash in hand.

It has also been suggested that hackers would eventually find a way to give asylum seekers access to their own digital ID, which would make it even easier for them to work but the government has insisted the cyber security would be robust.

Conservatives leader Kemi Badenoch described digital ID as a “desperate gimmick that will do nothing to stop the boats”, while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said it “will make no difference to illegal immigration”.

The Liberal Democrats said they would not support mandatory digital ID where people are “forced to turn over their private data just to go about their daily lives”.

Aside from tackling illegal working, the government says digital ID – which will also be known as the Brit Card – will make it easier for people to access government services – such as benefits or tax records – without needing to remember multiple logins or provide physical documents.

But civil liberties group Big Brother Watch, said digital ID is “fast becoming a digital permit required to live our everyday lives”.

Its director, Silkie Carlo, told ITV News: “The prospects of enrolling even children into this sprawling biometric ID system are sinister, unjustified and prompt the chilling question of just what Starmer’s government think the digital ID will be used for in the future.

“At a time when parents are taking a critical view of whether children should have smartphones, it is shocking that the government is considering enrolling children into this digital ID app.

“We now know that digital IDs could be used for everything from tax and benefits to banking and education. It has all the hallmarks of a sprawling national database that Britain has long rejected.

“We urge parliamentarians to listen to the concerns of millions of people in this country and reject Starmer’s mandatory digital ID.”

Prime Minister Starmer defended digital ID cards while speaking during an official visit to India, saying they are one of the “measures necessary to grip” illegal migration.

He added: “We have made a commitment to do whatever we can to stop people arriving illegally in the United Kingdom. One of the issues is the ability people have to work illegally in our economy. We have to do something about that. We can’t shirk that or duck that.

“There needs to be a national debate about it. And I think that the more people see the benefits that come with this, the more – as has happened in other countries – people say ‘that will make my life easier’.”

A government spokesperson said: “As we announced, it will be a legal requirement for employers to check someone’s digital ID as part of Right to Work checks.

“Children can work part-time from the age of 14. In some local council areas, this is from the age of 13. So, we need to consult on whether it should be offered to those aged 13 and over.”