Stuart Anderson MP has urged residents to have their say on digital ID plans before the consultation closes on 5th May 2026.
- Ministers have launched an eight-week consultation on digital IDs.
- Stuart said it must foster meaningful engagement with residents.
- He also accused the government of plotting to introduce mandatory digital ID via the backdoor.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
“I am greatly concerned that the government is plotting to introduce mandatory digital ID via the backdoor, as the app could end up responsible for access to hundreds of public services that residents in South Shropshire rely upon. Ministers have not been transparent about how the scheme, which could cost two billion pounds, is going to be paid for. They must rule out further cuts to farming and countryside programmes, which have already been stripped back by over £100 million under this government. I am urging residents in South Shropshire to have their say on the plans before the national consultation closes on 8th May 2026.”
Residents across South Shropshire are being urged to take part in a “national conversation” that the government has launched on its digital ID programme. The eight-week consultation was launched on 11th March 2026 by Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, Darren Jones MP. He has said digital ID will make it “quicker, easier and more secure” to access public services.
Stuart is concerned that the scheme introduces mandatory digital ID via the backdoor, as the government’s central app could end up responsible for access to hundreds of services - including alerting people when to take to their bins out. The government unveiled its plan to introduce digital IDs for Right to Work checks in September 2025. It was instantly met with much criticism. By January, Ministers said digital ID will no longer be mandatory for these checks. At the time of the announcement, Ministers also promised to launch a public competition to ensure the “best possible input” from the public. They repeatedly said that the consultation would be launched before the end of 2025. Yet, it was only launched on 11th March 2026.
Responding to the latest announcement, Stuart has said he is worried about the scope of services that digital ID could cover and how much the scheme could cost taxpayers. While official estimates have not been published, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) predicts it could cost £1.8 billion. The OBR has also warned that the government has not identified any feasible way of paying for it, something it describes as a “major spending risk.”
Stuart’s concerns follow media reports that the Prime Minister’s Chief Secretary Darren MP has written to government departments asking them to identify savings in their budgets that could finance the policy. The Health Secretary and Education Secretary have reportedly refused to allow their departments to take part in the scheme. Stuart is concerned that this means the government’s plan could be paid for by cuts in non-protected departments like the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Stuart has said that this would not be fair on rural communities like South Shropshire, as farming and countryside programmes have already been cut by £100 million under this government.
Stuart has added that the costs spiralled out of control when the last Labour government tried to introduce the scheme. 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 ended the ID card scheme and the associated National Identity Register. Stuart said this was the "right approach" and should not have been reversed.
The government has said it will establish a People’s Panel on digital ID after the eight-week engagement period. It has said the Panel will “bring together a broadly representative sample of the population from across the UK to take part in a more in-depth deliberative engagement process.” Stuart has said that this must foster meaningful engagement, after the consultation was described as a “last ditch attempt to garner public support for policy.” Stuart is urging residents to take part by visiting:gov.uk/digital-id-consultation. A survey is open from 10th March to 5th May and takes 20-40 minutes to complete.
