The King’s Speech today contained a commitment to digital identity as a way to modernise access to public services rather than a vehicle for immigration control.
Ministers chose to state opening of parliament today to refresh its messaging around digital identity, which was mired in controversy when it was first mooted in September last year in the form of the ‘Britcard’.
Following a public backlash, the prime minister rowed back on the initial version of the scheme, which was put forward as a potential solution to illegal immigration.
Today’s ceremonial event, which contained the government’s policy commitments, including NHS modernisation, courts modernisation and police reform, were a de facto repositioning of digital identity as an enabler of better public services.
“My Ministers will also proceed with the introduction of Digital ID that will modernise how citizens interact with public services [Digital Access to Services Bill],” said King Charles, delivering one of his constitutional duties as monarch.
The formal announcement of a digital ID scheme came on 26 September last year. Sir Keir announced plans for a free digital ID for those living in the UK, framing it as a way to curb illegal working and make it easier for people to access government services.
However, the case was first made in a report by Labour Together in June 2025, which recommended the government introduce a “Britcard“, and then the Tony Blair Institute released a report in September lauding the advantages of such a scheme.
But public support for the policy collapsed following the announcement, falling from a net +35% in early summer 2025 to -14% in the weekend following the prime minister’s announcement. By 23 October 2025, a petition opposing mandatory digital ID cards had gathered 2.9 million signatures.
In Scotland, the First Minister also signalled his opposition to mandatory digital ID. The current policy north of the Border is to pursue digital identity as a means to access public services via the ScotAccount service.
The UK Government later abandoned its plans for a mandatory scheme, and so today’s announcement brings it closer to the system being developed by the Scottish Government.