Opposing national ID cards
PCS has longstanding policy to oppose mandatory national identity cards as a genuine risk to privacy. Working with groups like Liberty and No2ID, and our cross-party parliamentary group, we defeated the earlier proposals for ID cards in the 2000s.
The ID cards scheme wasted billions of pounds on an unnecessary and ultimately scrapped scheme. At a time when public finances are incredibly tight, it cannot be right that proposals for digital ID are being prioritised over the need to boost wages, increase investment in public services, build council housing and increase the social safety net.
Opinion polling shows 45% of the public is opposed to the plan, with only 31% in favour. Already 2.7 million people have signed a petition opposing the introduction of digital ID.
The UK Government has said digital ID will be a tool to tackle illegal working, but they are unlikely to make any difference to unauthorised employment because unscrupulous employers don’t check for NI numbers now. Likewise those lone working in the grey economy will continue to do so – regardless of the existence of digital ID.
What will help tackle illegal working is a proper funding of the soon-to-be-established Fair Work Agency, greater investment in HMRC investigations, as well as additional funding for police, trading standards and other enforcement.
ID cards are a solution in search of a problem, and PCS remains to be convinced that new proposals for digital ID are the right policy or even a priority.