Sir Keir Starmer has said that the public will never need a digital ID to access a hospital, but admitted that the full cost of the new scheme is still not known.
The prime minister reiterated on Thursday that digital IDs will only be mandatory when it comes to the right to work.
The scheme was first announced last month, and has been highlighted as a way to prove a person has the right to work in the UK as part of the government’s bid to cut illegal migration.
Asked whether a digital ID would be needed to access a hospital, Sir Keir told the BBC on Thursday: “Absolutely not”.
“Apart from the right to work and having a digital ID, it won’t be mandatory,” he said. “You’ll never need ID to get into a hospital or anything like that.”
However, he admitted officials are not clear on how much the scheme will cost overall.
Asked what the final bill could be and if it could be run by a big tech firm, the PM said: “At the moment there’s no additional cost because we’re going through the consultation exercise, so that’s all accounted for.
“And until we get to the end of that exercise we won’t know the full cost.”
He claimed that evidence from elsewhere shows that the scheme would save money by preventing fraud.
The prime minister was speaking while on a visit to a bank, and compared the digital ID tech to those the public might already use.
“The idea of having ID on your phone is not that far removed from having a bank account on your phone or any other apps that people have on their phones,” he said.
He also said that it would not be the case that the tech would be used for surveillance.
Sir Keir announced last month that the government would introduce a new ID system by 2029 that would be mandatory for people working in the UK.
He told a summit in London: “If we get this digital ID system working and the public being with us, that will be the bedrock of the modern state and will allow for really quite exciting public service reform in the future.”
The PM also said that the tech would help convince voters the immigration system was “fair”, saying: “Decent, pragmatic, fair-minded people, they want us to tackle the issues that they see around them.”
The government has previously said that a digital ID card would be held on people’s phones, similarly to the NHS app or contactless payment systems.
It would be issued free of charge to everyone who has the right to live or work in the UK, whether they are British-born or foreign nationals.
It will include information such as a person’s name, date of birth and a photo.
How the scheme will work for those who do not use smartphones will be addressed as part of the consultation process.
