When digital ID was announced last year by Sir Keir Starmer, it was touted as a way to crack down on illegal working in the UK.
But the government did a U-turn on making it compulsory for right-to-work checks, after polling suggested the idea was becoming increasingly unpopular, external with voters.
Critics – who signed a three million strong petition against the plans – were also concerned about security risks and a creeping “Big Brother” state intruding into people’s lives.
Now ministers have switched to promoting digital ID, which will be held in a wallet on smartphones, as a way to make life easier for people using public services.
Jones unveiled a prototype of what he called “government by app” at a press conference in Downing Street and launched an eight-week consultation exercise to seek the public’s views, external on how the technology should work.
Jones said: “People too often dread their interactions with public services. Endless telephone calls, complicated printed forms and having to tell your story multiple times to different parts of government.
“I want to change that and make public services work for you. The new digital ID will make that possible, allowing you to log on and prove who you are to access public services more quickly, easily and securely.”
He said the original intention of cracking down on illegal working still stood because digital right-to-work checks would become compulsory by the end of the current Parliament, in 2029.
But digital ID will not now be the only way of proving your identity to employers – people could choose to use other documents, such as passports or eVisas, instead.
Jones said he had taken the unusual step of setting up a “people’s panel”, bringing together 100 individuals from across the country with different backgrounds to advise on the scheme.
The cost of the digital ID scheme will not be revealed until after the consultation, but Jones insisted it could save taxpayers “billions” in the long run by cutting red tape.
He also insisted the government “will not leave people behind” with the rollout and promised it would “help those who are less confident in technology or don’t have other forms of ID, like a passport”.
