A pub has been renamed “The George Orwell” in protest over Labour’s plans for new Digital ID cards.
Sir Keir Starmer’s face has been placed on signs at the rebranded James Atherton boozer in New Brighton, Merseyside.
Phrases from George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984, such as “war is peace” and “freedom is slavery” were also projected onto the site of the building.
In others, Sir Keir is depicted as the leader of the state of Oceania, while “Big Brother is watching you” appears before a large eye appears.
Landlord Daniel Davies changed the pub’s name because he fears Britain could become “very Orwellian”.
He said: “You can argue that all of these things, in the right hands, would be good; but in the wrong hands – and you see this in places like Hong Kong – they can become very Orwellian.
“Who has access to your data? How is it used? Is it sold on to any third parties?”
Mr Davies previously renamed the pub “The Three Bellends” in 2020, with signs featuring Boris Johnson, Matt Hancock, and Dominic Cummings.
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The pub flashed up images and writing reading ‘Big Brother is watching you’
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He said: “The Government hasn’t got a good history of rolling out IT on time, on budget, and which works.
“I think it’s going to cause a lot of confusion for the elderly who are already seeing high-street banking going, post offices shutting, pharmacies shutting.
“The main thing I wanted to do is cause a conversation; to get people questioning, and not just going along with anything that gets brought in – especially things that have far-reaching effects on civil liberties and your data.”
Sir Keir announced Labour’s plans last Friday to impose the mandatory cards on all adults by the end of Parliament.
Mr Davies is unconvinced about the Prime Minister’s motives.
He said: “It’s being dressed up as something to do with immigration, which I think is quite questionable.
“And, quite frankly, there’s other things that he should be focusing on, like looking after some of the core Labour values.
“Keir Starmer has a lot of things he should be focusing on, and this isn’t one of them.”
The pub was previously renamed ‘The Three Bellends’
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When questioned if the Prime Minister would be welcomed in the newly renamed pub, Mr Davies said he would open his doors to politicians of all parties.
He explained: “Of course I’d let Keir Starmer into the pub. I’d let anyone from any side in because what we need is debate.
“We live in echo chambers where people only follow those they agree with, but open, healthy debate is really important.”
Digital ID is set to become mandatory as a means of proving the right to work in the UK; however, people will not be required to carry it.