UK digital ID goes in-house, government swears it isn't an ID card
- Reference: 1769419810
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2026/01/26/digital_id_costs/
- Source link:
On January 12, Conservative MP Sir David Davis, who as shadow home secretary from 2003 to 2008 led opposition to the last Labour government's identity card scheme, [1]asked 17 ministers "how much they plan to reduce their department's budget to help fund the digital ID scheme."
Most of the ministers have provided exactly the same answer saying that costs would be met "within the existing spending review settlements," adding: "No final decisions will be made until after the consultation." The government plans to launch a consultation on the scheme in February.
[2]
Home Office minister Mike Tapp struck a relatively distinctive note in [3]saying that the Cabinet Office was working with other departments on policy and design decisions over digital identity: "Whilst this activity is underway, it is not currently possible to finalise cost estimations and the impact these will have on the Home Office's budget."
[4]
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In December, the [6]government rejected a £1.8 billion estimate of the scheme's cost made by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) as part of its analysis of November's Budget speech. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology's permanent secretary, Emran Mian, told a Commons select committee that the cost would depend on the outcome of the consultation.
This month has seen digital identity minister Josh Simons providing more substantive answers to MPs, including who will build and run the scheme. Replying to Liberal Democrat MP Martin Wrigley, who asked about the possible involvement of technology companies such as Palantir, the [7]minister replied : "We expect the new digital ID to be designed, built and run by in-house government teams, not outsourced to external suppliers." However, he did not rule out the use of "specialist external services or expertise."
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In October, [9]Palantir's UK boss, Louis Mosley, said the project "isn't one for us" as it was not in Labour's general election manifesto, although at the time the scheme was going to be compulsory for anyone taking a new job by the end of this parliamentary session.
The [10]government dropped the compulsory element earlier this month , saying it could be one way to prove eligibility to work through a digital check.
Simons has also provided a bit of information on how digital identity will work. In response to a question from Conservative MP Blake Stephenson, the [11]minister said that "any checking of such IDs will be done via a robust digital process. For example, we do not think people should be able to 'flash' their digital ID on their phone screen."
[12]Marching orders delayed: Veterans' digital ID off to a slow start
[13]UK backtracks on digital ID requirement for right to work
[14]Child safety or age-gating for all? UK social media ban plan draws fire
[15]Whitehall rejects £1.8B digital ID price tag – but won't say what it will cost
This matches the Government Digital Service's plans to add programmatic verification to [16]digital versions of the veterans' ID card .
Simons did not rule out the scheme being required to sign into social media accounts when [17]asked by Conservative MP Mike Wood whether he had considered this, although neither did he address the idea directly.
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If the government ends up banning under-16s from social media, as looks increasingly likely following a [19]vote in the House of Lords , its new digital identity could be a controversial way to achieve this.
The minister said the government is determined to make digital identity work for those without smartphones, the elderly, and those who are less digitally confident, partly through "a major government digital inclusion drive," in [20]response to a question from ex-Reform MP James McMurdock .
Last year, Simons said the scheme's accessibility efforts could involve issuing physical documents to some people. You might call such a document an identity card and its virtual equivalent a digital identity card, but he would not.
Replying on January 9 to a question from Labour MP Rachael Maskell asking "if he will make it his policy not to introduce ID cards," the [21]minister replied : "On 26 September 2025, the Prime Minister announced plans for free digital ID to be available to all UK citizens and legal residents. This is not an ID card." ®
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[1] https://members.parliament.uk/member/373/writtenquestions
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aXdJVxdzBnmiQlgA9oJqZwAAAcQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-01-12/104646/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aXdJVxdzBnmiQlgA9oJqZwAAAcQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aXdJVxdzBnmiQlgA9oJqZwAAAcQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/09/uk_digital_id_costs/
[7] https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-10-21/83922
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aXdJVxdzBnmiQlgA9oJqZwAAAcQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/03/uk_digital_id_clarity/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/14/uk_digital_id_climbdown/
[11] https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-01-02/101946
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/23/slow_start_for_veterans_digital/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/14/uk_digital_id_climbdown/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/21/uk_social_media_ban/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/09/uk_digital_id_costs/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/23/slow_start_for_veterans_digital/
[17] https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-01-08/104194
[18] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aXdJVxdzBnmiQlgA9oJqZwAAAcQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/22/house_of_lords_votes_to_ban_under_16_socmed/
[20] https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-12-15/100189
[21] https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-12-18/101424
[22] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: First People
Yep, five year pilot/beta test.
Re: First People
You are making a concession. That's how they shift Overton window. Nobody asks why we should implement and fund this corrupt policy in the first place anymore.
Reads like…
all things to all people… definitely *not* an identity card… maybe.
In house with a little help from crapita – I can see the criminals, spies and terrorists lining up for one just to "prove" they are someone else entirely.
It's not an ID card
But that's how it's going to be used.
And it'll cost more than £2 billion to implement, but not to worry, Palantir will not be involved, although "specialist" consultants might (will) be called on.
The ID card has been a long fight in the UK. It's frankly hilarious (from the outside) how evident it is that the population does not want it, but somehow as soon as someone gets elected, then it is a necessity.
I can't help but wonder who's cousin's brother-in-law is going to get his snought in that trough, because the pickings are looking to be quite fat indeed. A digital ID card and you need billions to set it up ? A few million should be largely enough, with a focused group of experienced people in charge and no bullshit Royalty-decorated nincompoops messing things up - oh wait, they said in-house.
Right, so that's another boondoggle that's going to waste money for nothing.
Re: It's not an ID card
I must say I side with many of our European counterparts here, in asking why we as a nation are so against the idea of a single identity system.
It is already the case that some form of identity proof is needed for most transactions (other than cash) and registrations or entitlements, whether public or private. Several other European nations already have excellent digital ID systems that act as such proof, and aren't abused into a form of ID that must be carried. But Blighty staggers on under the burden of exceptionalism, all this "I didn't fight in two world wars..." shit, "you can't trust those lot in Whitehall", and as a result we continue to operate expensive, duplicative, fragmented and overlapping ID systems, each valid in differing circumstances, and as a result of the gaping holes in these systems we have seen £11 billion stolen through Covid loan fraud, we have rampant tax dodging, Companies House have thousands of bogus front companies registered by f*** knows who, umpteen services are validated by the laughable "proof" of a utility bill, we have dual passport criminals fleeing justice to their home country and then not being caught when they return to repeat their offending, proof of identity and right to work remains a burden that reputable employers struggle with, and disreputable ones ignore. In a world that's rapidly destabilising, there's also the potential for circumstances where the UK might actually need to have a system that could pivot to being an ID card for the duration of hostilities.
I'm sure this comment will be very heavily voted down, but we are already numbers on multiple government identification databases, and it's pretty sad that in a tech forum like this people remain so enthusiastic for fragmentation, overlap, higher costs, error and inaccuracy.
Maybe we can we look on the optimistic side for once
In-house project managers, in-house design, and outside help for the grunt work. Isn't that the way it's supposed to be done?
The switch from mandatory on day 1 to optional is for a soft roll-out, of course. I can't see a big bang with 65-million-odd records working.
Interesting
It is interesting why the tax payer should fund Larry Fink's pet project that nobody has voted for?
First People
To get a Digital ID should be all the ministers and contractors that work on the Digital ID system so we know exactly who there are. If they won't take their own medicine, I ain't touching it.