Andy Burnham is set to scrap the hated digital ID scheme in a “reset of priorities” as he prepares to take over from Sir Keir Starmer.
The uncontested Makerfield MP was crowned Labour’s newest leader yesterday as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood described the outcome as “hardly a nail-biter”.
Now as he prepares to enter No10 on Monday with a set of new measures up his sleeve, Mr Burnham is gearing up to ditch his predecessor’s plan to roll out the widely-criticised scheme to divert “time and resources where it’s needed most”.
Announcing the change, a spokesman for the incoming Prime Minister said: “One of the first things this Government will do is put its focus where people need it right now: creating breathing space and delivering change they can feel in their everyday lives.
“That means all the time and resource that was going to be spent on a national ID scheme will go instead to where it’s most needed, such as helping with the cost of living.
“This Government is determined to bring power back to communities, instead of hoarding it in Whitehall. We will work every day to lift this country back up to where it belongs – with growth in every postcode, and hope in every heart.”
The Conservatives have already taken aim at Mr Burnham’s leadership, accusing the new leader of “pretending he’s riding to the rescue”.
Sir Keir originally announced the plan to roll out the digital ID scheme in a bid to crack down on illegal working but watered down the policy following fierce opposition by some of his leading frontbenchers.
The outgoing Prime Minister had already been forced to water down his existing plans earlier this year
|
GETTY
Labour rowed back on the plan after opposition from the Tories and Reform UK as well, while former Health Secretary and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson refused to offer departmental information for the project.
A Whitehall insider revealed that Mr Streeting raised his head above the parapet almost as soon as the plans were unveiled.
But the latest announcement from Mr Burnham has appeared to suggest that the plans to roll out digital ID were not entirely ditched, the Conservative Party has said.
Julia Lopez, the Shadow Technology Secretary, obliterated Labour for having “wasted millions of pounds” on the unpopular project already.
The outgoing Prime Minister had already been forced to water down his existing plans earlier this year
|
GETTY
Ms Lopez added: “After pressure from the Conservatives, mandatory ID was already apparently off the table.
“Andy Burnham now needs to explain whether that was untrue, or whether he is simply claiming credit for a decision that had already been taken.
“Andy Burnham should stop the political theatre and be clear about what exactly he is scrapping. Only the Conservatives have the team and the plan to restore common sense to public policy.”
The Tories snapped up credit for Labour’s U-turn on compulsory digital ID as Sir Keir’s top team changed its plan.
Instead of forcing workers to use the digital ID as proof of right to work, the individuals were allowed to use a traditional form of identification, such as a passport or an e-visa.
But the climbdown earlier this year failed to successfully soothe the worries of Britons, many of whom admitted they had concerns over Labour’s “surveillance”.
Last week, it was revealed that Britons fear being tracked by the Government if digital ID were to be implemented, with around six in 10 admitting they were worried about the “surveillance system”.
New polling from Deltapoll interviewed 2,091 British adults on behalf of advocacy group Liberty, laying bare Britons’ concerns over the unpopular scheme.
Meanwhile, an overwhelming 74 per cent of Britons were worried about the risk of cyber attacks if digital ID plans are followed through.
As a result, Liberty, a civil liberties group founded in 1934, began to heap pressure on Mr Burnham to scrap plans for the scheme, as well as facial recognition technology, when he moves into No10.