The UK government has scrapped its proposal that workers obtain a mandatory digital ID to prove right‑to‑work status. Labour ministers now say existing document checks, such as biometric passports, will be fully digital by 2029. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch dismissed the original scheme as “rubbish”, while Business Secretary Peter Kyle urged Labour to justify new measures.

The plan was first sold as a tool to clamp down on illegal immigration, but critics argued it would broaden state surveillance and lacked a clear rollout narrative. A parliamentary petition gathered nearly three million signatures, and polls showed support falling from just over half in June to under a third after Labour’s announcement.

Labour now promises to shift right‑to‑work checks onto the Gov.uk One Login platform, with the still‑unlaunched Gov.uk Wallet slated to store ID details on smartphones. Observers will watch whether the digital rollout meets security expectations and how opposition parties, from the Liberal Democrats to Reform UK, continue to press for funds to be redirected to health and policing.