Campaigners hit out at “utter contempt for the most vulnerable sections of the community”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (Image: Getty)
Labour has been accused of showing “utter contempt” to pensioners over its controversial digital ID scheme. Campaigners issued a fresh warning to the Government ahead of a consultation due to take place in the New Year.
Sir Keir Starmer announced plans for digital ID in the UK in September as part of efforts to tackle the small boats crisis and make it “easier for the vast majority of people to use vital government services”. But Silver Voices warned that older people who do not use the internet or have smartphones are at risk of being left behind.
The campaign group’s director Dennis Reed said: “The 4.5 million people who do not possess a smartphone and the two million households who are offline are being told that unless they wise up to the digital revolution, they can forget having access to many private and public services in the future.
“The failure of the Government to even think about the digitally excluded before announcing its compulsory digital ID plans shows utter contempt for the most vulnerable sections of the community.
“Labour politicians often express horror at all those working-class people who fell by the wayside in the Victorian industrial revolution and yet they seem intent on repeating similar misery with the digital revolution; all in the service of the same objective, growth.”
Under the plans, digital ID will be mandatory in order to work in the UK in a bid to crack down on illegal immigration.
But Sir Keir has insisted that people who do opt not to have it will not be denied access to key services.
The Prime Minister’s chief secretary Darren Jones sparked fears when he suggested digital ID could be “the bedrock of the modern state”.
Almost three million people have signed a petition on the official Parliament website against the introduction of digital ID.
And a YouGov poll showed public support for digital ID plummeted after the Prime Minister’s announcement in September.
The proposals have also come under fire from the Tories, Reform UK and the Lib Dems.
A government spokesperson said: “We will launch a major inclusion drive which will look at providing face-to-face support and hands-on help for those who need it.
“Making this system work for everyone will be a top priority, including people who often currently struggle to access modern services, whether that’s because of their age, economic status or lack of digital skills.
“The new scheme will be inclusive, secure, and useful. It will give people more control over their data than they have now, and make public services easier to access and serve everyone better across the country.”
