Harnessing the potential of new digital forms of identification

Home Affairs Committee Open Inquiry
Opened: 12 Jun 2025 Parliament page
Digital ID can refer to many different aspects of a person’s identity which can be recorded and stored digitally, including names and demographic information, digital versions of government-issued documents such as visas, or even biometric information like a fingerprint or face scan. In an increasingly digital world, several countries have … Read more
7 Recommendations
8 Conclusions
1 Report
3 Oral sessions
1 Letter
3 Events
Activity timeline 8 events
20 May
2026
Report published
25 Mar
2026
Correspondence
3 Mar
2026
Oral evidence
3 Mar
2026
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
28 Jan
2026
Oral evidence
28 Jan
2026
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
18 Nov
2025
Oral evidence
18 Nov
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Oral evidence sessions 3 sessions
3 Mar 2026
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Dan Hobbs · Home Office Mike Tapp MP · Home Office Phillipa Rouse · Cabinet Office Rt Hon Darren Jones MP · Cabinet Office
28 Jan 2026
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Alex Hall-Chen · Institute of Directors David Crack · The Association of Digital Verification Professionals Dr Kuba Jablonowski · University of Bristol Joanna Hunt · DAC Beachcroft Monique Hawkins · the3million
18 Nov 2025
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Alexander Iosad · Tony Blair Institute James Baker · Open Rights Group Laura Foster · techUK Professor Edgar Whitley · London School of Economics Ruth Ehrlich · Liberty Silkie Carlo · Big Brother Watch
Title HC No. Published Items Response
8th Report - Mandatory to manageable: the government’s plans for… HC 986 20 May 2026 15 Pending
Recommendations & Conclusions
15 results
1 Conclusion
8th Report - Mandatory to manageab…
The Prime Minister’s initial announcement of mandatory digital ID was rushed, poorly thought through and...
The Prime Minister’s initial announcement of mandatory digital ID was rushed, poorly thought through and failed to make a convincing case for the introduction of mandatory digital ID. While digital ID was being discussed by Westminster think tanks and politicians, … Read more
Home Office
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2 Conclusion
8th Report - Mandatory to manageab…
The track record of digital transformation in government is poor, and we are sceptical that...
The track record of digital transformation in government is poor, and we are sceptical that digital ID will be any different. The rushed nature of the government’s initial announcement of digital ID, subsequent changes of policy, and the complacency about … Read more
Home Office
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3 Recommendation
8th Report - Mandatory to manageab…
When the government publishes the response to its consultation it should set out a much...
When the government publishes the response to its consultation it should set out a much clearer estimate of the expected cost and forecast benefits of its final policy, with a detailed roadmap for implementation. (Recommendation, Paragraph 20) 27
Home Office
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4 Conclusion
8th Report - Mandatory to manageab…
The digital verification services sector in the UK has developed over 17 years, contains considerable...
The digital verification services sector in the UK has developed over 17 years, contains considerable expertise, and contributes an estimated £2 billion to the UK economy. The government’s initial announcement threatened to undermine this sector and was in direct conflict … Read more
Home Office
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5 Conclusion
8th Report - Mandatory to manageab…
Digital ID will not achieve widespread adoption unless the majority of people can trust that...
Digital ID will not achieve widespread adoption unless the majority of people can trust that their data is secure, so it is vital that the programme is subject to the highest standards of privacy and cyber and data security. Given … Read more
Home Office
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6 Conclusion
8th Report - Mandatory to manageab…
Digital right to work checks offer some benefits to employers, but mandating digital right to...
Digital right to work checks offer some benefits to employers, but mandating digital right to work checks would mean a very significant shift in the way that employers are required to carry out right to work checks. It is vital … Read more
Home Office
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7 Recommendation
8th Report - Mandatory to manageab…
The government should ensure that its plans for the transition to digital right to work...
The government should ensure that its plans for the transition to digital right to work checks reflect the significance of this policy change for both businesses and individuals. In particular, we recommend that the government takes steps to engage the … Read more
Home Office
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8 Conclusion
8th Report - Mandatory to manageab…
Digital right to work checks are not foolproof, and while the intelligence that these checks...
Digital right to work checks are not foolproof, and while the intelligence that these checks generate can help to target enforcement, intelligence alone will not reduce illegal working. There is no replacement for frontline enforcement to follow up on intelligence … Read more
Home Office
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9 Recommendation
8th Report - Mandatory to manageab…
In response to this report, the Home Office should set out whether and how resources...
In response to this report, the Home Office should set out whether and how resources were reallocated to support an increase in illegal working enforcement visits in 2025, and how this level of resource for frontline enforcement will be maintained … Read more
Home Office
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10 Conclusion
8th Report - Mandatory to manageab…
Intelligence that is currently being gathered by digital identity providers should clearly be informing Home...
Intelligence that is currently being gathered by digital identity providers should clearly be informing Home Office enforcement and we share the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister’s incredulity that this intelligence cannot already be shared and acted on effectively. We … Read more
Home Office
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11 Recommendation
8th Report - Mandatory to manageab…
We recommend that the Home Office works with digital identity providers to ensure that there...
We recommend that the Home Office works with digital identity providers to ensure that there is an effective mechanism for them to share the intelligence they currently gather through digital right to work checks, so that this can support enforcement … Read more
Home Office
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12 Recommendation
8th Report - Mandatory to manageab…
The government should learn from the errors that have affected the eVisa system in developing...
The government should learn from the errors that have affected the eVisa system in developing digital ID, as well as ensuring that opportunities to improve eVisas through the development of digital ID are not missed. In particular, the government should … Read more
Home Office
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13 Recommendation
8th Report - Mandatory to manageab…
There are theoretical benefits of digital ID in terms of ease of access to public...
There are theoretical benefits of digital ID in terms of ease of access to public services, but the government has not yet decided which public services will be accessed in this way. The government should be clear about the evidence … Read more
Home Office
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14 Recommendation
8th Report - Mandatory to manageab…
The government is right to identify the need for safeguards to ensure that any proposed...
The government is right to identify the need for safeguards to ensure that any proposed future expansions of digital ID cannot be made without proper scrutiny: not a slippery slope, rather a staircase, with progress—and direction—governed by Parliament. The government … Read more
Home Office
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15 Conclusion
8th Report - Mandatory to manageab…
The government’s initial announcement of digital ID was rushed, poorly thought through, and failed to...
The government’s initial announcement of digital ID was rushed, poorly thought through, and failed to articulate convincingly any of the potential benefits. This undermined existing public support for the introduction of digital ID. The government has since taken positive steps … Read more
Home Office
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Correspondence 1 letter
25 Mar 2026 To committee Letter from the Minister for Migration & Citizenship relating to the Digital ID evidence session on 3 March 17.03.2026
Parliament page