Chancellor asked about the Government’s latest climbdown on mandatory digital IDs
Rachel Reeves was grilled on Labour’s repeated U-turns during an appearance on BBC Breakfast this morning. The Chancellor was asked why the Government keeps changing its mind after it emerged that digital ID would no longer be mandatory to work in the UK in the latest climbdown.
That follows other reversals by Sir Keir Starmer including on welfare reform, axing winter fuel payments for most pensioners and the inheritance tax raid on farmers. Presenter Sally Nugent said: “It’s a change of heart, it’s a U-turn, and it’s one of many U-turns we’ve seen from the Government over the last 18 months.
“We’ve had digital IDs, two-child benefit cap, the grooming gangs inquiry, the comments you rowed back from about being an island of strangers, welfare reform, winter fuel payments, farmers and inheritance tax, and now pub business rates. Why do you keep changing your mind?”
Ms Reeves insisted the Government was “pretty relaxed” about what form of digital documentation people use to prove their right to work.
She said: “On the digital ID, for starters, I do think this story has been a bit overwritten.
“We are saying that you will need mandatory digital ID to be able to work in the UK.
“Now the difference is whether that has to be one piece of ID, a digital ID card, or whether it could be an e-visa or an e-passport, and we’re pretty relaxed about what form that takes.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves (Image: BBC BREAKFAST)
But host Jon Kay then jumped in and said: “The Prime Minister wasn’t very relaxed when he stood at a lectern only a few weeks ago and said this is absolutely going to happen, it’s really important to have a digital ID that we’re going to introduce.”
Asked about how the latest U-turn makes the Government look, she told BBC Breakfast: “Well, I don’t think most people mind whether it is one piece of digital ID or a form of digital ID that can be verified.
“But the point is, we’re trying to address a problem that the question is how to do that.”
Put to her that continually backtracking on policy shakes the public and backbenchers’ confidence, Ms Reeves said: “The key thing is where you’re trying to go.
“Our Government, this Government, our focus is on growing the economy and improving living standards for working people.”
Announcing the plan on the eve of last year’s Labour Party conference, the Prime Minister said people “will not be able to work in the United Kingdom” if they did not have digital ID as part of a bid to crack down on illegal immigration.
