My position on mandatory digital ID

Modern society seems overwhelmed by fraud, identity theft, modern slavery & illegal working and I wholly understand the need to explore new ways to tackle these issues. I therefore think it important to maintain an open mind on digital ID and learn from what other countries are doing. For example, India’s voluntary Aadhaar scheme, described by World Bank Chief Economist Paul Romer as "the most sophisticated ID programme in the world", is something I think we should at least consider. Aadhaar is the world's largest biometric ID system, now issued to more than 99.9% of India's adult population which arguably addresses many of the privacy issues usually associated with ID cards.

However, my party is clear that a mandatory digital ID system would cross a red line. It risks eroding long-held civil liberties while doing little to address the Government’s stated aims of immigration enforcement.

Mandatory digital ID system threatens our right to privacy. Digital tools should be about giving individuals more control over their personal data, not giving the government more control over our lives. We are also concerned that a mandatory Digital ID system could deepen digital exclusion and disproportionately affect society’s most marginalized - older people, people living in poverty & disabled people who often have limited access to digital devices or low digital literacy.

This scheme is also set to cost the taxpayer billions. If the government really wants to restore public trust in the immigration system, it could spend this money on Nightingale style processing centres - as the Liberal Democrats have called for - to clear the asylum backlog, and still have funding left over for public services.

It is essential we properly investigate the pros & cons of any new ID. As a Member of the Home Affairs Select Committee, I will be undertaking some of this work as part of our inquiry on this topic. You can find more here.