UK banks’ digital ID bid is a game of optics – and the odds are not in their favour Banking A digital ID row has dominated headlines in the last year, and banks are set to join the row. In this week’s column, Samuel Norman takes a look at what they might be in for. Britain’s banks have voluntarily thrown themselves into one of the most toxic culture wars of the decade. Few subjects evoke [...]
Barclays and Lloyds join banking sector plan for digital ID Banking Barclays and Lloyds are among a group of top UK lenders working on a plan that would see customers able to use digital identification tools in their banking app. The collective of banks – which also includes HSBC, Nationwide, Natwest and Santander – are working with industry body UK Finance on a process where users’ [...]
The Debate: Will digital ID actually erode our civil liberties? Opinion Will Starmer's plan for digital ID actually erode our civil liberties? We put two experts head to head in this week's Debate.
Will the ‘Brit card’ ID redefine privacy in the UK? September 29, 2025 Just last week, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans for a new digital ID system, or so-called ‘Brit card’, aimed to provide UK citizens and legal residents with a smartphone-based identity card. By the end of the current parliament in 2029, digital ID is set to become mandatory for ‘right to work’ checks. The government [...]
Beware BritCard. Digital ID will turn Britain into a papers, please society June 24, 2025 Britain has a long history of rejecting mandatory identification. Digital ID BritCard must be no different, writes Rebecca Vincent.
Labour exploring plans for ‘Britcard’ digital ID to curb illegal migration June 6, 2025 Labour is exploring a new national, universal digital ID card for every adult in the UK to tackle illegal migration. The ID is being tentatively branded as ‘Britcard’, and could be downloaded onto a smartphone in the shape of a “free verifier app”. Plans for the digital ID were laid out in detail by the [...]
Labour’s digital ID by the backdoor will be a honey pot for hackers May 7, 2025 Labour's attempt to usher in digital IDs via the backdoor is in urgent need of scrutiny, writes Jasleen Chaggar.
City of London and EY call for national digital ID March 27, 2025 The UK risks losing its position as a global financial hub unless it rapidly upgrades its digital verification infrastructure. A new study from EY and the City of London Corporation warned that delays in establishing a government-backed, scalable digital verification system (DVS) could cost the UK billions in economic benefits. Meanwhile, it is increasing businesses [...]
Businesses are ditching card terminals for smart phones March 3, 2025 New data has revealed that the use of tap-to-phone technology—where businesses turn smartphones into point-of-sale devices (POS)—has boomed over the last year. In the UK, tap-to-phone adoption has exploded by 320 per cent in the last 12 months, compared to the global average growth rate of 200 per cent. Visa research showed that small businesses [...]
Digital IDs and biometric data: Welcome to Labour’s tech dystopia January 29, 2025 The approval of digital IDs heralds is heralding in a tech dystopia, and Labour is welcoming it, writes Silkie Carlo.