Stuart Anderson MP has invited residents across South Shropshire to share their views on the government's plans to introduce a UK-wide Digital ID Scheme.
A petition on the UK Parliament website against the scheme has already garnered almost three million signatures. This includes almost 5,000 signatures from South Shropshire alone.
Plans to introduce the scheme were announced on Friday, 26th September 2025. The Tony Blair Institute have repeatedly pushed for mandatory digital ID cards since Labour came into office last year.
Responding to the announcement, Stuart has slammed the government's plans to accept their proposals. He has has branded the policy a “cynical gimmick" from a government that is desperate to distract from its failures on immigration and the economy.
Almost 900 small boat migrants crossed the English Channel illegally last weekend. The latest arrivals took the number of small boat migrants who have crossed from France so far this year to 33,076.
Meanwhile, official statistics released on 30th September 2025 confirmed that GDP - the size of the UK economy - has halved from 0.7 in January to March to just 0.3 in April to June 2025.
Stuart has also criticised the Prime Minister for announcing the plans, which did not feature in Labour's election manifesto, during parliamentary recess - meaning MPs have not been given dedicated time to respond to them.
Due to party conferences, Parliament does not return until 13th October 2025 - meaning MPs have not been able to quiz Ministers and debate the proposals on the floor of the House of Commons.
Stuart has added that it is a violation of hard-won British freedoms and that he will stand against the introduction of mandatory national ID cards in both principle and in practice.
Responding to the announcement, Stuart Anderson MP said:
“I am fundamentally opposed to the introduction of mandatory digital IDs and would support my party's action to repeal it - just as we did back in 2011, after the previous Labour government had spent billions of pounds on it. Mandatory ID has never been the right approach for our country. The government's attempt to link it to illegal migration is a cynical move which distracts from their failures on both immigration and the economy. The huge level of correspondence I have received from residents in South Shropshire confirms that this is the case. This policy is the most freedom-taking approach from a desperate government that is failing to deal with the real problems that Britain faces, including our ever-growing immigration crisis. I am resolutely committed to campaigning against this blatant violation of hard-won British freedoms."
Stuart has also said that the scheme would take years to implement and would do nothing to stop an urgent immigration crisis that needs fixing now.
The last time that Labour were in government, they tried to introduce a mandatory ID and costs spiralled out of control. In October 2006, the programme was set to cost £4.91 billion. Six months later, it had risen to £5.75 billion.
In 2010, the coalition government decided to end the ID card scheme and the associated National Identity Register. Stuart has said that this was the "right approach" and should not be reversed.
Stuart has stated that the policy is a "smokescreen" for taking real action in immigration. Even one of the Prime Minister’s own Ministers has called the scheme a “fantasy”, according to The Times newspaper. Stuart added that Labour must introduce real deterrents and enforce Right to Work checks already in place.
The Conservatives previously ruled out digital or mandatory ID following a 2023 public consultation, in which strong concerns were raised by the public. Despite this, Labour have revived the idea under pressure from Tony Blair and Labour Together.
In an open letter to residents, Stuart Anderson MP has said:
"I stand firmly against Labour’s plan to introduce mandatory digital ID cards. Labour have failed to tackle illegal immigration, with Channel crossings now at their highest level on record. At the same time, the economy teeters and Keir Starmer’s ailing premiership is under threat from rivals. The introduction of mandatory digital ID cards is a cynical gimmick intended to distract from these Labour failures. It will take years to roll out and do nothing to stop the urgent immigration crisis. By linking migration policy to mandatory digital ID cards, Keir Starmer has only driven distrust and suspicion of government. Let me be clear, as a Conservative, I oppose this move in principle as well as in practice. The Conservatives refused to introduce digital ID or mandatory ID in 2023 following a public consultation in which we listened to the concerns of the public. Tony Blair and Labour Together have been repeatedly pushing for this since Labour came into office, and Keir Starmer has given in to the pressure.
In his open letter, Stuart added:
"I am concerned about the introduction of mandatory digital ID cards for a number of reasons. Not only is this policy a smokescreen for taking real action on immigration, it will also cost billions at a time when taxes are already rising to pay for Labour’s damage to the economy. Furthermore, it creates an obvious security risk. Despite Labour pointing to India, Denmark, and Estonia as successful examples of mandatory digital ID, we have seen vulnerabilities in all their systems. This is all the more concerning when we have a government which has been notoriously bad at data protection, for example in 2007 when Labour lost the personal data of 25 million people. Mandatory digital ID cards are not something we want for this country, and I stand against their introduction. As a Conservative, I believe it is the government’s role to empower the citizen, not the other way round. Rest assured, I will campaign against this policy vigorously."
Stuart is now asking constituents to make their voice heard by filling out his short survey below.
