No 10 says ditching of key plank of plan is technical tweak after Kemi Badenoch targeted Starmer over issue at PMQs
Keir Starmer has rejected the claim that his change of plan over digital IDs represents another U-turn, as the prime minister faced accusations from the Conservatives that his government had “no sense of direction”.
Late on Tuesday it emerged that a key plank of the controversial plan for digital IDs was being rolled back, with a proposal to make the document mandatory for people to show their right to work being dropped, with other forms of identification being allowed instead, for example a passport with a digital chip or e-visa.
While Downing Street portrayed the change as a technical tweak, it removes the only compulsory element of the plan, significantly watering down the impact of the digital ID scheme.
It follows a series of other recent policy changes, including on changes to inheritance tax for farms, and the way business rates are charged for pubs.
