Labour MPs call for digital IDs to tackle migration

More than 40 Labour MPs are urging ministers to introduce a new form of digital ID to help control the migration system and improve public services.

In an open letter, Labour MPs from three groups said a "gear shift" was needed to reap the benefits of digital identification.

The idea of digital ID for all has long been backed by former Labour Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair and former Conservative leader William Hague.

But the BBC understands the government has no plans to introduce mandatory digital ID.

The letter said while the government had made "great strides" on digitising identification, "the time has come for a more comprehensive programme".

"The truth is we are moving to an era of digital ID," Jake Richards, one of the Labour MPs who signed the letter, told the BBC.

"The government knows this - and is bringing forward new developments with digital driving licences and passports, but we want them to move faster, to ensure the project is comprehensive and joined-up and, critically, bring the public with them."

The group argues digital ID could help tackle "illegal off-the-books employment".

The proposal falls short of the compulsory identity cards Sir Tony brought in when he was prime minister.

The last Labour government started issuing the first ID cards to UK citizens and 15,000 were in circulation when the scheme was scrapped by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in 2011 and the database destroyed.

Sir Tony has since suggested using digital ID to help control immigration so "we know precisely who has a right to be here".

The government has focused on targeting people-smuggling gangs to bring down illegal migration, which is one of Labour's biggest challenges.

The latest Home Office data show more than 5,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year.

In the open letter, the Labour MPs said "this government will only succeed if it is able to get a grip on illegal migration".

A key part of this, the letter said, "must be tackling illegal off-the-books employment, which is a major draw for migrants entering our country unlawfully".

"Digital ID would help counter these practices," the MPs said.

Richards - the MP for Rother Valley - said the system for managing and tracking people who enter the country illegally was "fraught with inefficiencies".

He added: "Digital processing and some form of digital ID for those that arrive would help us control the system much more effectively."

The letter also said digital ID could "transform public services" by making it easier to access the NHS, tailoring education and cracking down on benefits fraud.

But the letter said any digital ID programme "must be developed with care, respecting an individual's privacy".

The letter was signed by MPs from the Labour Growth Group, the Red Wall Group representing seats in the Midlands and north of England, and the socially conservative Blue Labour group. Many of them were elected for the first time last year.

Polling by YouGov suggests there is strong support for the introduction of a system of national identity cards in the UK.

Bur critics of such forms of ID have raised concerns about privacy, civil liberties and the collection of data by the state.

An online wallet already allows users to store government-issued documents on their phones, and a digital driving licence is being launched this year.

A government spokesperson said: "We are committed to using technology to improve lives and transform public services.

"Digital identities offer a secure, efficient way for people to prove who they are without physical documents, reducing fraud and saving time.

"Trusted providers following government rules are already conducting hundreds of thousands of digital checks monthly, helping people access employment, housing, and vital services more quickly and easily, while boosting productivity, driving economic efficiency, and supporting long-term growth as part of our plan for change."