AIBU to think that Digital ID will not stop illegal immigration, and nor is it a good idea?

[Westfacing]

How will this prevent boat crossings?

But surely illegal migrants will just continue to work on the black market as they’ve always done , cash ,cheap labour.

How will this solve the problem? When people arrive here illegally they are already here.

But if the UK gets a reputation for being too difficult to get work in then maybe it’s not worth paying a thousand pounds to cross the channel, so that in the future people stop arriving. The problem is that we have more arrivals that we have infrastructure to deal with.

Why would the UK get a reputation as too difficult to get work in? The people who are already working illegally are by definition doing so in roles that don't require legal presence. The introduction of another type of ID requirement doesn't affect that. Demand for low paid illegal labour won't stop.

Lisa Nandy said this morning on BBC :

”if people are challenged, they will need to show a digital ID to show their right to work here - but adds that the digital ID won’t need to be shown to get benefits or access the NHS”.

It plainly won’t stop people arriving in boats.

It is an incredibly muddled policy idea. Also, it could be used in countless sinister ways by a far right government in future.

Frankly, Starner is an idiot. And one thing that Andy Burnham got right is that he does not have a coherent vision or set of policies, or if he does, he doesn’t think it’s worth sharing with us. It’s drip, drip of new ideas from behind a closed hand. I’m sick of him.

Any laughably ironically, the UK economy would probably collapse without the extra workers.

Could somebody who lives in a country where you can't do anything without showing your ID card tell me what happens if you lose it or it is stolen?

It won’t though. As others have mentioned on this thread, countries with ID cards already still have large black market economies. The U.K. also already has stringent Right to Work checks and penalties for not following them. If there are companies ignoring those laws what makes you think they will follow laws about people haven’t to show digital ID cards?

And how would having to “present” ID cards work? This would probably look like the police identifying and targeting businesses known for hiring illegal workers. But there’s zero reason they can’t do this now. They don’t need ID cards. If companies can’t evidence that they’ve done right to work checks, they can face huge fines. But to my knowledge they haven’t been doing targeted work to do this. And if not, why not? And why bring in ID cards instead which will cost a fortune and do little to nothing to achieve your goal? Maybe it might just be because it’s got nothing to do with immigration at all….

But if they are unable to open bank accounts, rent houses, work, claim benefits, get healthcare, get mobile phone contracts then they are not going to want to come here. Perhaps.

If you only need one for proof to work then surely anyone whose retired won’t need one so why is it mandatory.

I want to see a clear and detailed explanation of what this id will be used for why I, with my passport, driving licence, NI number and HMRC tax account needs one.

From what Lisa Nandy said this morning, they will be mandatory for when you apply for a job, nothing else at this stage.

She said they wouldn't be required for using the NHS - which is at odds with what I've hear from pro-ID politicians saying it will make accessing public services much easier!

You go online and pay a fee and order a replacement. In the meantime, you still have the digital version.

The thing is we all know that having to have one to apply for a job is only the start. Give it a decade and it will be bank accounts and a full blown social credit system.

Utterly appalling.

what happens when your passport or driving licence is lost or stolen?
You still have your number and it's not hard to get a new one. And if it's digital then there no fear of it being lost.

Two words - Tony Blair.

So you won't need an ID card for any of the following?

Open a bank account
Access your money
Sell or purchase a property
Access your pension

I am not convinced.

I'm all in favour. I already have a passport, driving license etc. I'd be quite happy to have a digital ID. I think it will make life easier and make criminal activity harder.

Compulsory if you want to work, I don't want to work (retired) so won't need to bother with this in the first instance, it will be working people that have to get this.

Remember prescription charges? They started small then went up. Mostly , unpopular ideas are introduced in a small way, then added to later, when the fuss has died down. I am quite concerned about digital ID if a very right wing government gets on, down the line. They’ll certainly add to it, and be able to point to Labour. Which they would.

They won’t stop boats.
They won’t help the NHS with capacity
They won’t stop people working illegally.

So what are they for? To police the rest of us, especially coming from an ex director of prosecutions, which Starmer is.

And I say as someone who is not, nor has ever been a criminal, and as a long term Labour supporter.

And at least 10% of the UK economy is illegal, which will be more than 10% of the workforce.

I am quite concerned about digital ID if a very right wing government gets on, down the line ... a long term Labour supporter.
LOL. Your brain is worried about what you imagine a right wing government might hypothetically do, but are fine with a left wing one actually introducing it in the first place.
Labour voters never cease to amaze me.

It's weird isn't because ID cards are much a concept of the left rather than the right. State control, rather than individual freedom. The most likely thing a right wing government would do, would be scrap them.

I must live in some parallel universe to most mn users.

i use google maps when driving ( ells you if roadworks ahead) so google knows where i am. I log in to ebay or amazon or fb and they check my id, send a txt code to my phone number, so obviously know where i am. Many people have Alexa who listens in. I use chrome on my laptop so it knows a lot about me. The bank sends me txt confirmations-already knows my name and address.

yet somehow a digital id is some scary big brother spy risk -are you joking -the American tech cos know all about everybody. Get real.

This !

The vast majority of people who come over on boats are granted asylum once processed (almost 70%) so aren't illegal.

People need to untwist their knickers about these small boats

They will care if they get prosecuted for it. At the moment Govs don’t seem to care but they will start to care when they think they’re going to lose out to Reform.