When the government revealed its intention to launch digital ID cards in September 2025(1), there was an immediate backlash. Civil society, MPs, and citizens criticised the plans for the digital phone-stored ID, which would prove people’s right to work, as employers would be obliged to ask for this ID as evidence.

The digital ID would include a person’s name, date of birth, information on nationality or residency status and a photo. This would serve as the basis for biometric security, the government says. Address details could be added depending on views from the consultation – first promised by the end of 2025, but pushed back probably largely due to the success of the e-petition.