Kafkaesque doesn't mean that much anymore when reality is far darker.

Do they not already have the equivalent of a US social security card? (For the employment eligibility, not the program benefits.) Is this something much different from that?

Having just paid a small fortune to renew my passport. I'm not super excited about this, especially as I live outside the UK.

I also don't trust them not to make a complete hash of all this, removing all potential utility while simultaneously increasing the chances of my ID being stolen.

sigh

If it's only applicable to citizens then how do they hope it will help on migration?

I’ve always lived in places where having an ID on you has been part of your “citizen responsibilities”. So reading the post my feeling was “oh cool, they’re getting a new eID-like system”. But I imagine it’s a huge step if folks could get by without an ID at all.

didn't they try that 20 years ago and repeal? and back then it was voluntary.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identity_Cards_Act_2006

This appears to just be an extension (in free app form) of the UK government “One Login” system used to get access to most government web services. This currently has about 12 million users.

https://www.gov.uk/using-your-gov-uk-one-login

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/sep/25/keir-starme...

I'm not clear if this is digital ONLY or if I people can choose to carry a physical card when required, instead of a smartphone.

If it's the former, then it means it's now mandatory for all British citizens to become customers of the Google/Apple duopoly LOL

>The proposals are the government's latest bid to tackle illegal immigration, with the new ID being a form of proof of a citizen's right to live and work in the UK.

How does a digital ID solve an illegal immigration problem? I watched the video and the suggestion is that this makes it easier for employers to verify that someone is authorized to work. Is that actually true? I don't live in the UK and have not visited in several years. If the idea is that a digital ID authorizes employment ... well I hope people can see the problem, here.

So this applies to sectarian areas of Northern Ireland as well as every other part of the UK, then.