Burnham to ditch Starmer’s £2bn digital ID scheme to signal change of direction
Andy Burnham will signal a major break with Keir Starmer’s government by abandoning controversial £2bn plans to introduce digital identity.
The policy was fiercely opposed by many Labor MPs, who saw it as a waste of money, an attack on individual freedom and a reflection of what Tony Blair and Gordon Brown had previously tried to implement.
Sir Keir, who claimed it was necessary to prevent illegal working, had already been forced to turn down plans to make it compulsory due to internal opposition, and now the plan is set to be scrapped altogether.
The move comes as Mr Burnham is expected to ruthlessly stamp out many of the problems besieging Sir Keir’s government.
Sources also said he planned to scrap reforms to dilute the right to a jury trial and bring back rebel MP Karl Turner, who was sacked for opposing the proposal, to the parliamentary party.
Independent It was also learned that the new prime minister will try to determine a road map to recover the 0.7 percent of GDP spent on international aid in order to increase Britain’s soft power.
But the decision to scrap digital identity reflects the new government’s core mission to reset priorities and focus on the daily challenges faced by people across the country.
This reprioritization of public resources marks a shift towards improving daily life and strengthening local economies rather than expensive national government programs.
A spokesman for Mr Burnham said: “One of the first things this government will do is put its focus where people need it now: creating breathing space and delivering the change they can feel in their daily lives.
“This means that all the time and resources that would have been spent on the national identity plan will go where it is needed most, such as helping with living costs.
“This government is determined to bring power back to communities rather than hoarding it in Whitehall. We will work every day to bring this country back to where it belongs, with growth in every postcode and hope in every heart.”
But a source said Mr Burnham was clear that Britain would continue to crack down on illegal work.
The new government has said it will continue to build on the progress made by the previous government in tackling illegal work, which saw nearly 13,000 inspection visits and more than 9,000 arrests in 2025.
Right-to-work checks will remain mandatory for all employers who can already carry them out digitally; this is a more secure system than paper documents, which are easier to forge.
The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act would extend right-to-work checks to gig economy and zero-hour workers in the construction, food distribution, beauty, courier and warehousing industries for the first time.
