The Labour minister behind the rollout of digital ID cards today refused to say how much the scheme will cost the taxpayer – or when the controversial scheme will even start.
Darren Jones rejected suggestions from the Office for Budget Responsibility that the rollout, already watered down, will cost £1.8bn, but refused to put an alternative figure forward.
And speaking to Times Radio he was vague about when it will be rolled out, suggesting it is unlikely to come into effect before the next election.
It came as it was revealed Keir Starmer‘s plans for digital ID could go far beyond the original proposals – even making it easier to claim benefits and notifying people when to put their bins out.
Labour on Tuesday unveiled its prototype system as it laid out further details on what the scheme could look like in its push to create ‘Government by app’.
The Prime Minister first sold the scheme as a way to crack down on illegal migration – but now Labour has revealed its vision for a one-stop shop that could become the ‘front door’ for public services.
Sent out to promote the launch today, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Mr Jones was pushed on the scheme’s cost and when it might be rolled out.
Regarding the OBR figure he said: ‘The number’s not right and I don’t quite know how the OBR came up with that number because we haven’t consulted yet on what it is that we’re trying to build and how we’re going to build it.’
Darren Jones rejected suggestions from the Office for Budget Responsibility that the rollout, already watered down, will cost £1.8bn, but refused to put an alternative figure forward.
Digital ID will first be used to carry out digital right-to-work checks, but ministers envision this expanding to include things like childcare, tax, national insurance and even registering a marriage
Pushed on whether the figure could in fact be higher he said: ‘We’re consulting on the details at the moment and we can’t come forward with a figure until the public have answered our questions…
‘To be honest, it’s not that quick. I mean, I’d rather it was quicker to be honest. But we’re going to consult before the summer this year.
‘We then have to bring legislation to parliament because we need the legal right to do that. We won’t actually start building the technology until 2027 and the minimum viable case will come in 2029.’
Documents published by the Cabinet Office yesterday state that the Government will retain the right to revoke somebody’s digital ID – and could even be handed powers to take enforcement action if people fail to keep their details up to date.
The digital ID will first be used to carry out digital right-to-work checks, but ministers envision this expanding to include things like childcare, tax, national insurance and even registering a marriage.
Under Labour’s plans the public will be able to tell the app which council area they live in – with people then receiving alerts telling them when their rubbish collection is due.
The app could even flag what benefits people might be entitled to based on their personal details, making it easier to claim Universal Credit, child benefits and housing support.
The consultation document states that ‘the digital ID will allow government to more easily verify an individual’s eligibility for benefits’.
The documents state that digital IDs will ‘reduce existing, systemic barriers to accessing public services’, ensuring people can ‘access the services to which they are entitled’.
And Labour pointed to a case study from Estonia, where parents ‘experience a seamless, digital-first system for accessing financial support’ using their digital identity when their child is born.
‘Using their digital identity, parents register the birth online within minutes. Immediately afterward, a tailored benefits offer appears in their government account. Parents simply review and accept the offer,’ it adds.
Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately said that Labour sold its digital ID plans as a ‘simple way to access services’, but warned they are ‘already expanding far beyond its original reach’.
‘The last thing this country needs is Digital ID encouraging more people onto the bourgeoning list of welfare claimants,’ she told the Mail. ‘Instead the Government should get getting a grip of welfare.’
Reform UK said digital ID cards ‘will make no difference to illegal immigration but it will instead be used to control and penalise the rest of us’, with a spokesman adding: ‘The state should never have this much power.’
