SIR Keir Starmer has admitted he would like to see the use of digital IDs rolled out far beyond right-to-work checks.
The PM said he wants the controversial scheme to also cover passports, school admissions for children and act as a gateway to public services.
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On a trade-boosting visit to Mumbai, Sir Keir doubled down on mandatory digital IDs for employment, insisting the plan is vital to tackle the scourge of illegal migration.
But he added there was “a case to be made about the benefits for voluntary ID into other areas”.
Sir Keir said in India: “I think it’s a really important discussion for us to have.
“So, on the one hand, it’s mandatory for work, but I actually think it would be a good passport.”
Talking of using it instead of having to dig out old bills to use as proof of identity for services, he said: “I do think that we could gain a significant advantage.”
Polling last week showed that support for digital ID cards had plunged from 35 per cent in early summer to -14 per cent after Sir Keir announced he was backing it.
But the PM stuck to his guns, saying: “We need to address the fact that too many people can come to this country and work illegally.
“And that’s why ID mandatory for working is really important.”
Sir Keir yesterday met with one of the officials behind India’s own ID scheme, Aadhaar, which stores iris scans and fingerprints of 1.3 billion people to allow them access to services in the country.
But a Downing Street spokesman insisted it was a fact-finding mission and not the start of talks on a deal to replicate India’s system.
He said: “These things are not going to be directly comparable but it’s useful to hear from a country that’s built a system being used 80 million times per day.”
Pressed on the falling support for digital ID, the spokesman added: “Whenever you have a public sector reform of this scale, it’s natural for people to have concerns.”
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