Reform UK and Libdems in Harrogate oppose the introduction of Digital ID

The Labour Government is pitching a universal, and compulsory ID to the public on the basis of:

• It will make it easier for people across the UK to use vital government services.
• The roll-out will in time make it easier to apply for government and private sector services, such as helping renters to quickly prove their identity to landlords, improving access to welfare and other benefits, and making it easier for parents to apply for free childcare.
• It will also be required for right to work checks to stop those with no right to be in the country from finding work. This is to send a clear message that if you come here illegally, you will not be able to work, deterring people from making dangerous journeys.

However, Digital ID would create a national database capable of tracking, profiling and excluding ordinary citizens, while exposing personal data to hacking, political misuse and future abuse.

Jonathan Swales is the Reform UK, Harrogate and Knaresborough, Branch Chair, and has been assisting the public-policy platform Reform and Repeal in preparing a discussion paper highlighting the civil-liberty dangers of national identity systems.

He also has said also welcomed the recent concerns raised by Liberal Democrat MP, Tom Gordon.

Reform UK, Harrogate and Knaresborough, Branch Chair Jonathan Swales said:

Digital ID turns a free society into a permission-based society. We reject it outright.

The British state should enforce existing law properly, not force every citizen into a state-run identity system.

When people from different political traditions warn about Digital ID, the public should listen.

Reform UK Harrogate & Knaresborough is urging residents, businesses and community groups to oppose any national Digital ID scheme and defend civil liberties at every level.

Tom Gordon MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has strongly criticised the Government’s plans for a national Digital ID system, warning that public trust has collapsed amid growing concerns about privacy, security, and the erosion of civil liberties.

Tom Gordon MP said:

Support for Digital ID collapsing from over +30% to –14% tells us everything we need to know: the British public simply do not trust this Government to protect their personal data.

After years of security failures, high-profile leaks and botched IT projects, it’s hardly surprising that people are alarmed at the idea of the Government holding a database of everyone’s private information.

Instead of pouring billions into a surveillance system, this government should be fixing the NHS, tackling the cost-of-living crisis, and investing in services people desperately rely on.