The British government is reportedly exploring options for a digital ID card to crack down on illegal migration. In other words, the people of the United Kingdom are expected to have their rights and privacy violated because of the actions of previous administrations. The expansion of the surveillance state. NEW: Downing Street is reportedly considering a proposed 'BritCard' digital ID to crack down on illegal migration, rogue landlords and exploitative work [@guardian] pic.twitter.com/AXiXez8k9s — Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) June 5, 2025 From The Guardian: The paper has been handed to the No 10 policy unit to flesh out proposals for a BritCard, which would be a mandatory digital credential that Labour Together claims could help avoid another Windrush scandal. But it said it would also help reduce vast numbers of visa overstayers, saying half of those whose asylum claims were turned down over the past 14 years were likely still to be in the UK. It proposes a free, secure digital ID, stored on a person’s smartphone using ministers’ planned gov.uk Wallet app, rebranded as the BritCard app. That could then be verified by employers, immigration, banks and landlords using a free verifier app. The proposal from the thinktank, whose founders include the No 10 chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, has been backed previously by dozens of Labour MPs, with the new paper endorsed by two “red wall” MPs, Jake Richards and Adam Jogee. X users reacted to the development: Do you notice that it's ON A SMARTPHONE?you are in chargeof whether or notyou own a smartphone and pay monthly for it.Get rid of it. https://t.co/IcaBG3HOd5 — Polly St George aka Amazing Polly (@FringeViews) June 6, 2025 Ah, so this is how they are going to try get us all to have a digital ID. I won't be having one. https://t.co/6dAwsXEDgc — Kelly White (@kelhawks) June 6, 2025 Problem. Reaction. Solution. https://t.co/JAWccK9i61 — The Biggest of Bobs (@Adambakre3) June 6, 2025 Oh, a digital ID supposedly intended to combat immigration? Who could have predicted this? (We did.) https://t.co/VLBJUUoeAp — Snow Himbo ☭ (@SnowHimbo) June 6, 2025 Digital IDs and CBDCs will be the end of personal freedom. Digital IDs and Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) could be seen as the end of personal freedom due to their potential to centralize control over individuals’ lives. Here’s why: 1. Surveillance and Tracking:… https://t.co/S7xKtQ6eDb — Jaden Lister (@JadenLister) June 6, 2025 Full text: Digital IDs and CBDCs will be the end of personal freedom. Digital IDs and Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) could be seen as the end of personal freedom due to their potential to centralize control over individuals’ lives. Here’s why: 1. Surveillance and Tracking: Digital IDs, when linked to CBDCs, can create a system where every transaction, movement, or interaction is traceable. Governments or corporations could monitor spending habits, locations, and social behaviors in real-time, eroding privacy. 2. Control Over Finances: CBDCs, unlike cash, are fully digital and controlled by central banks. Authorities could impose restrictions, such as limiting transactions, freezing accounts, or enforcing spending rules (e.g., on certain goods or in specific regions), reducing financial autonomy. 3. Exclusion and Discrimination: Digital IDs tied to CBDCs could exclude those without access to digital infrastructure or who refuse compliance (e.g., due to privacy concerns). This could create a system where non-participants are locked out of economic and social systems. 4. Programmable Money: CBDCs can be designed with programmable features, like expiration dates or usage restrictions. For example, funds could be limited to “approved” purposes, stifling individual choice and enabling social engineering. 5. Loss of Anonymity: Cash allows anonymous transactions, preserving a degree of freedom. CBDCs, paired with digital IDs, could eliminate this, making every action accountable to a centralized authority. 6. Potential for Abuse: Centralized systems are vulnerable to misuse. Governments or institutions could weaponize digital IDs and CBDCs to silence dissent, enforce compliance, or punish nonconformity by restricting access to funds or services. While proponents argue these systems enhance efficiency and security, the trade-off is a significant reduction in personal sovereignty, as they grant unprecedented control to centralized entities over individuals’ lives. BREAKING: The Government in considering introducing a digital ID "BritCard" for all UK citizens. We must stop this! “Make no mistake: the new digital ID proposal reportedly being considered by the Government is another plan for a mandatory universal ID under a new guise."… pic.twitter.com/ICwglRMUqq — Big Brother Watch (@BigBrotherWatch) June 6, 2025 Per City AM: As it stands, Britain is the only country in Europe without a national ID card system – which has been viewed by proponents of the cards as a pull factor that draws more illegal migrants into the UK. In a 30-page report outlining the plan, Labour Together – now led by Jonathan Ashworth, a former shadow cabinet member, who was surprisingly defeated at the General Election – says that the plan would be relatively low-cost for a national project. Report authors said: “The additional cost would be modest relative to other forms of infrastructure – we estimate between £140-400m. “Applying internet-era test-and-learn design practices to the development of the BritCard would help to avoid the pitfalls faced by some public sector digital platforms.” Former PM Sir Tony Blair tried to put in place compulsory national ID cards during Labour’s last stint in government, but plans were shelved by the Cameron-Clegg coalition government that followed. This proposal is part of a broader push for Labour to put itself on the front foot on the thorny political subject of illegal migration, with Reform leading in the polls and following Tories’ 2024 drubbing in 2024 being in part due to a collapse in trust on this issue.