Burham To Scrap UK Digital ID Plan After Taking Office

According to Lianhe Zaobao citing Reuters, British prime minister-in-waiting Burham will scrap the national digital ID plan after taking office on Monday, July 20, and shift resources to cost-of-living and other household concerns. His office said one of his first priorities will be to abandon the plan to require all workers to hold a digital ID card, a proposal originally aimed at combating illegal immigration and widely criticized. Starmer canceled the mandatory worker digital ID rule in January after facing criticism. A spokesperson for Burham said time and resources previously earmarked for the national ID plan would be redirected to areas where they are most needed, such as helping people cope with rising living costs. The UK Office for Budget Responsibility estimated in November that the digital ID plan would cost about GBP 1.8 billion, or about SGD 3.1 billion, over the following two fiscal years. Burham's ally and Labour deputy leader Powell said the savings from scrapping the plan may not be large, but it would be a small example of resetting priorities. She told the BBC that there was an opportunity to reassess items that consume resources, distract the government, and affect its priorities. Powell declined to give details of other policies or of Burham's cabinet team, but said the new government would stick to the previous government's commitment to new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.