We will no longer have the conspiracy nonsense about state control
This climbdown was, perhaps, inevitable. Especially given what’s going on in the US, where the Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security has said that citizens need to be ready to show proof of citizenship.
People will still need to prove they have the right to work in the UK, but using digital identification won’t be the only way. I’m pleased, as it will make my work in Scotland around Verifiable Credentials much easier. Perception often trumps fact.
People will still be required to verify their ID digitally, by a process still to be finished, but this could involve existing documents such as a passport. The hope is that this would crack down on illegal working while avoiding the controversy of an in effect compulsory ID system.
It is understood that one of the motivations for the change was to allow people who wanted to use digital ID to do so, while avoiding the PR hurdle of a mandatory element. As one official put it: “We will no longer have the conspiracy nonsense about state control.”
A government spokesperson said: “We are committed to mandatory digital right to work checks. We have always been clear that details on the digital ID scheme will be set out following a full public consultation which will launch shortly.
Source: The Guardian
Image: Tom Radetzki