'It's a gimmick!' Keir Starmer's BritCard Digital ID plan exposed

Sir Keir Starmer's plan for all Brits to have digital ID cards has been torn apart by a former Tory MP, who slammed it as "a gimmick". Jonathan Gullis, who represented Stoke-on-Trent North from 2010 to 2024, made the fiery comments during an appearance on The Daily Expresso. He said the Prime Minister's plan for so-called BritCards could be beneficial for the welfare system, but ultimately will be "undermined" by Sir Keir's deep unpopularity.

Mr Gullis told host JJ Anisiobi: "I think we can all be sceptical about whether digital ID cards are actually going to solve illegal migration, but what I will say is that they have been positive in terms of when it comes to welfare. If you're requiring digital ID to access welfare state, then of course, what I'd like to think is people who don't have ID will not be able to access the welfare state.

He continued: "The problem is, the man selling the policy is deeply unpopular.

"What I think is a very serious conversation is going to be undermined by a very deeply unpopular Prime Minister who's using this as a gimmick rather than an actual serious policy."

Sir Keir maintains that his digital ID card scheme will help combat illegal working and make it easier for people to use Government services. By the end of the Parliament, they will be mandatory for Right to Work checks.

The Prime Minister said: "Digital ID is an enormous opportunity for the UK. It will make it tougher to work illegally in this country, making our borders more secure.

"And it will also offer ordinary citizens countless benefits, like being able to prove your identity to access key services swiftly - rather than hunting around for an old utility bill."

Mr Gullis is not the only one who has opposed the idea, with Nigel Farage calling it "un-British" and questioning why the Brtitish public should trust the Government with their information.

He previously told the Express: "During the pandemic, we had to have vaccine ID to travel and to do various things. Did that stop the pandemic spreading? No it did not.

"All it did was to impose costs and inconvenience on the general population. Why would anybody trust the Government to hold massive data banks of information about how we live?"