In a sweeping move to tighten borders and slash Channel crossings, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government plans to mandate a digital identity card for every working adult in the UK, verifiable against a national database, with the formal announcement slated for the coming days.

Dubbed the BritCard, the system would serve as irrefutable proof of legal right to reside and work, accessible via a smartphone app for quick checks by employers, landlords, and officials. Legislation would follow public consultation, aiming to replace easily forged paper documents and plug gaps in the black economy that draw undocumented migrants.

Officials cite vulnerability of physical IDs to fakes as a key driver, with Labour peer Harriet Harman noting in July that such cards would hinder illegal employment. French President Emmanuel Macron has echoed this, calling the UK's ID void a "pull factor" for small-boat arrivals, while Starmer views the scheme as bolstering enforcement without broad surveillance overreach.

The push builds on a May 2025 immigration White Paper that hiked permanent residency waits to ten years, raised work visa skill bars to degree level, and trimmed post-study stays to 18 months, all to foster local training and curb low-skill inflows.

Yet civil liberties advocates, including Big Brother Watch, warn of privacy erosions and "dangerous" state tracking, igniting clashes over security versus freedoms. As the UK navigates post-Brexit inflows—Nigeria alone filed over 22,000 asylum bids in 15 years—the BritCard tests Labour's pledge for firm yet fair controls, with outcomes hinging on parliamentary buy-in and public trust.