BritCard: a progressive digital identity for Britain
For a progressive society to work, it needs to be able to collectively agree who is allowed to join it. Because it will exclude those who cannot join it, it needs to give its members proof that they belong. The UK doesn’t do this. Our conflicted historic approach to issuing identity credentials has led to a situation that represents the worst of both worlds. We currently can’t effectively stop people from living and working in our country illegally. Nor can we efficiently support legal citizens and residents to exercise their rights.
This paper makes the case for the introduction of BritCard: a mandatory national digital identity that would be issued free of charge to all those with the right to live or work in the UK, whether they are British-born nationals or legal migrants. The BritCard would be a verifiable digital credential downloaded onto a user’s smartphone, which could be instantly checked by employers or landlords using a free verifier app.
By introducing a mandatory, universal, national identity credential - BritCard - the Labour Government has the opportunity to build a new piece of civic infrastructure, something that would become a familiar feature of daily life for everyone in the country. It would support better enforcement of migration rules, and protect vulnerable British citizens from being wrongly denied their rights. It could end identity exclusion, resolving uncertainty and risk for those whose status is uncertain, and providing a quick, secure, privacy-preserving means for everyone to verify their identity and their migration status when dealing with government, when taking up a new job, or taking on property.
It could lay the foundations for a fully-functioning digital identity system that would in time deliver huge benefits in terms of great efficiency and better outcomes in public services, as well as being a driver of growth, building on the existing One Login and Gov.UK Wallet. Our polling suggests it would be immensely popular;around 80% of the public support use of digital identity for a range of use cases.
All the necessary elements of the technology needed to deliver BritCard exist and are already in use in multiple arenas. The additional cost would be modest relative to other forms of infrastructure - we estimate between £140-400m. Applying internet-era test-and-learn design practices to the development of the BritCard would help to avoid the pitfalls faced by some public sector digital platforms. By embodying the highest standards of transparency and engaging in meaningful co-design, the Government could rebuild trust and ensure BritCard represented an improvement in privacy and accessibility. The Government has stated time and again its ambition to make the best possible use of technology to serve the public.
WithBritCard, it would be making a reality of that aim.
In the first part of this paper we explain why BritCard is needed, setting out the likely risks and benefits and putting it in the context of the Government’s wider migration strategy and approach to digital identity. In the second part, we discuss how the Government could implement BritCard, exploring the costs, delivery approach and technical specifications.
Summary of recommendations
Given the very significant political and delivery benefits, moderate costs and the deliverability of this policy, the Government should announce as early as possible in Summer 2025 its intention to explore introducing a digital right-to-work and right-to-rent credential, as part of its plan to tackle illegal migration.
It should also:
Make a robust and up-to-date assessment of the current undocumented population
Agree a digital identity strategy at the Digital Interministerial Group with Home Office involved as an extraordinary member, as well as at DG level with a new working group with representatives from all relevant departments
Hire a very senior, high-profile and experienced political figure head or tech sector professional to be the cross-government champion and external face of its digital identity programme
Make clear that digital identity is a top Prime Ministerial priority through a high-profile launch and strategy white paper
Develop a technical specification and policy case for a digital right-to-work credential (a joint project between the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (GDS), and Home Office as identity and migration lead department). Prototyping and service design testing should also be part of this process
Convene a new stakeholder working group to participate in development of this project, including and pioneering innovative co-design practices, going beyond just consultation. Central to this working group should be the inclusion of excluded or marginalised groups as priority user cohorts
Ensure accessibility for those with low digital skills and non-smartphone owners, including the provision of in-person support channels
Prioritise trust and transparency across the development and deployment of the BritCard, giving users control of how and when their data is used, and adhering to a test-and-learn approach
Allocate funding to support the development of the BritCard digital identity system, following best practice for funding digital teams
Learn the lessons from other successful rapid tech delivery projects such as the NHS App, COVID Pass, EU Settled Status Scheme and Universal Credit
Embed digital-era working practices in the new project team, including definition and regular publication of usability metrics (e.g. onboarding success rate for people without passports)
Rebrand the Gov.UK App and Gov.UK Wallet as the “BritCard app”