OVER one million Brits have signed a petition to block Keir Starmer’s new compulsory Digital ID.
Fuming citizens have expressed their concerns over privacy after the PM introduced a new scheme.
Keir Starmer’s new scheme has been slammed by the public[/caption]
All working-age Brits will have to obtain a Digital ID that’s linked to a central database.
Anyone who wants to work in the UK will have to present the digital profile to their employer.
Officials could then instantly check if someone is entitled to be employed in the UK and cross-match the data with tax records.
However, the new scheme, backed by the PM, has been slammed by Brits.
Over one million people have signed a petition to stop the Digital ID cards as citizens call it “a step towards mass surveillance”.
Fears over privacy are growing amongst the population as the petition is quickly gaining attention.
It reads: “We think this would be a step towards mass surveillance and digital control, and that no one should be forced to register with a state-controlled ID system.
“We oppose the creation of any national ID system.
“ID cards were scrapped in 2010, in our view for good reason.”
The parliament will have to consider this issue for a debate as the petition received over 100,000 signatures.
Currently, employees only submit physical paperwork which can be easily forged.
This, in turn, allows dishonest bosses get away with pretending to have done checks when they have not.
Under current plans, the scheme will be available to UK citizens and legal residents by the end of this Parliament.
Britain is one of the only countries in Europe without a national ID system and critics claim this has encouraged more illegal migrants.
However, civil rights organisations have long opposed ID card schemes, arguing that they violate privacy.
When Labour attempted to introduce them in 2009, the Tory-led coalition rejected the plan as a “erosion of civil liberties.”
No10 has previously rejected the proposal as well, but last month ministers indicated they were prepared to take another look at digital IDs due to growing resentment over the record number of small boat crossings and asylum hotels.
Praising the scheme, the Prime Minister said: “I know working people are worried about the level of illegal migration into this country.
“A secure border and controlled migration are reasonable demands, and this government is listening and delivering.
“Digital ID is an enormous opportunity. It will make it tougher to work illegally in this country, making our borders more secure.
“It will also offer ordinary citizens countless benefits, like being able to prove your identity to access key services swiftly rather than hunting around for an old utility bill.”
The civil liberty group Big Brother Watch has again warned against Digital ID introduction.
In a letter to Sir Keir on Wednesday, the group said: “Mandatory digital ID is highly unlikely to achieve the Government’s objective of tackling unauthorised immigration.
“The proposed schemes fundamentally misunderstand the ‘pull factors’ that drive migration to the UK and would do very little to tackle criminal people-smuggling gangs or employers and landlords who operate ‘off the books’.
“Instead, it would push unauthorised migrants further into the shadows, into more precarious work and unsafe housing.”
The digital scheme will go out to consultation and is expected to need new laws before it comes in.
