Andy Burnham to scrap digital ID to focus on cost of living

Andy Burnham to scrap digital ID to focus on cost of livingImage source, Getty ImagesByAdam GoldsmithPublished18 July 2026, 21:02 BSTUpdated 2 minutes agoAndy Burnham will scrap plans for a government-issued digital ID for all British adults when he becomes prime minister. The move, which follows plans for new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, will shift focus to "the daily priorities facing people across the country", Burnham's office said.Under Sir Keir Starmer, the government had already watered down proposals to introduce a mandatory digital ID for workers in the UK.Now, by dropping the plans entirely Burnham's spokesperson said, the "time and resource that was going to be spent on a national ID scheme will go instead to where it's most needed, such as helping with the cost of living".Ruthless plotter? Flip-flopper? Dad dancer? Insiders reveal the real Andy BurnhamPublished5 hours agoWho is the frontrunner to be the UK's next chancellor?Published1 day ago"This reprioritisation of public resource shows a change in direction towards improving everyday life and strengthening local economies over expensive national government schemes."Plans for a digital ID scheme had initially been introduced by Sir Keir ahead of Labour's conference last year. At the time, Starmer argued that mandatory digital ID for workers would make it easier to clamp down on immigrants working illegally and modernise the state.As well as tackling illegal immigration, Starmer said a digital ID system would enable citizens to prove identity to access key services quickly instead of having to hunt for utility bills.The Office for Budget Responsibility estimated last November that the programme would cost £1.8 billion over three years, but Downing Street rejected this figure.In January, after nearly three million people signed a parliamentary petition opposing the introduction of digital IDs, the government changed its approach. Instead, C...