Burnham to Axe Starmer’s Digital ID Scheme on Day One
In his first confirmed break from Sir Keir’s programme, Mr Burnham has said he will scrap plans for a government-issued digital ID for all British adults, redirecting the money — reported at around £2bn — to cost-of-living help. His office says one of the new government’s first acts will be to put its focus “where people need it right now”. Conservatives accused him of claiming credit for a retreat already forced by their pressure.
The digital ID plan was a Starmer flagship, first pitched as a mandatory tool against illegal working before nearly three million people signed a petition against it, forcing a voluntary relaunch. Mr Burnham’s team casts the reversal as a “reset of priorities”, with the funds diverted to household relief. The shadow technology secretary, Julia Lopez, said mandatory ID was “already apparently off the table” and asked whether Mr Burnham was “simply claiming credit for a decision that had already been taken”. Watch whether the scrapping is formally confirmed once he is in office and how quickly the promised cost-of-living package follows.