UK

The Government risks losing support over its proposals for digital IDs, Labour MPs have said, as they raised concerns about the impact on civil liberties and the cost.Nadia Whittome, Richard Burgon, Charlotte Nichols and Stella Creasy all questioned how necessary the IDs were, and whether the Government could spend the money better.Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the digital IDs would only be mandatory for employers to see on right-to-work checks, as the Government bids to clamp down on illegal working.However, Ms Kendall added that for those who wanted to, it could improve access to public services.Meanwhile, individuals would not face sanctions, only employers, and the police would never demand to see the IDs, Ms Kendall said.She said the Government had learned from countries such as Estonia and Denmark who had used the IDs already, and allowed people to “tell their story once” when dealing with public services.A consultation will begin before the end of the year, MPs heard, as they were told any system would be built “in house”.Ms Kendall said: “When you look across other countries and what they’re doing, it really has made government fit around people, rather than make people fit into government and its different services, and I think that’s a huge benefit.”However, Ms Whittome (Nottingham East) warned the Government risked “burning through political capital”.She said: “I don’t know how many doors I’ve knocked on in my 12 years as a Labour member, but I do know that not a single person has ever told me that what they really need to improve their lives, their community, this country is mandatory digital ID.“It won’t tackle irregular working, it undermines civil liberties, it’s divisive among the public and it won’t make a difference to people’s lives.“So I ask the Secretary of State, why are we doing it? Why are we burning political capital and public money on this, instead of focusing on the issues that are really are impacting our constituents.“I worry that this is yet another huge mistake.”Her party colleague Mr Burgon (Leeds East) said: “Given the serious threats that digital ID poses to civil liberties, our data security and a risk of data being handed over to US tech giants, I’m firmly opposed to digital ID.“However, isn’t it also a really big waste of money, and shouldn’t the Government be instead focusing on what is the number one priority for people across the country, which is tackling the cost-of-living crisis, and wouldn’t the money from this better be pushed into that, while safeguarding civil liberties?”Ms Nichols (Warrington North) said: “I’ve been contacted by a large volume of constituents in recent weeks whose healthy scepticism that digital ID will make a material difference in tackling illegal immigration, I share.”She asked for Ms Kendall to give concrete examples of how the IDs could be used by the public.Ms Kendall replied: “I do believe in future there are many really important voluntary ways in which people getting better access to services and support, and we’ll be consulting on that fully when we come forward with those detailed proposals.”Ms Kendall refused to give a figure for how much it cost, despite being pressed on it by Ms Creasy (Walthamstow).Ms Creasy said she had seen figures of it costing £1 billion to £2 billion to establish the scheme, then an ongoing £100 million a year to run it.She also said the cost of a data breach could amount to 1.1% of GDP.Ms Creasy said: “(Ms Kendall) said this would be free. Ultimately, the taxpayer will have to pay for it.”She added: “Could she give us, if not at least a ballpark figure for the capital and revenue costs she’s envisioning for what she’s set out?”Ms Kendall replied: “I think we also need to look at the potential benefits of this, in terms of savings from cracking down on fraud, from making services more effective and efficient, and clearly the eventual cost of this will depend on the design and build, which is what we’re consulting on.”The Conservatives claimed the scheme would “fundamentally shift the balance of power between citizen and state”.Shadow science, innovation and technology secretary Julia Lopez said: “(Sir Keir Starmer) knows it won’t stop the boats, and when Brits are forced to have ID as illegal migration continues unabated, it will simply confirm fears of a two-tier society, fuelling the division and conspiracy theories that he so arrogantly claims that he is the antidote to.”She continued: “This is not about Luddite versus modernisers. This is about the fact that Labour cannot resist its big fat socialist dreams – centralised databases, state mandation, big money, the exclusion of private sector expertise. Why create this honeypot for hackers?”Responding, Ms Kendall said: “Well, that is definitely the first time I’ve been called a ‘big fat socialist’.”Former defence minister Andrew Murrison said three million people had signed an online petition against the policy.Ms Kendall replied: “I think that trying to get Government services to talk to one another and work more effectively is what people want.” More

Wes Streeting has said he is delighted that the government can now speak about the problems caused by Brexit, as the prime minister gears up to blame the UK’s exit from the European Union for Britain’s ailing economy. Speaking on a panel at the Cliveden Literary Festival, the health secretary said the country is facing an “enormous amount of jeopardy”. “We had over a decade of low productivity, low growth, and therefore you end up a with high burden of taxation and people paying more through their taxes and feeling they are getting less because they are”, Mr Streeting said. Health Secretary Wes Streeting More

The leader of a Reform UK-led council has vowed to “lie in front of bulldozers” to stop Ed Miliband’s net zero projects in the area.Several “nationally significant infrastructure projects” are planned for Lincolnshire, including solar farms and a corridor of pylons between Grimsby and Walpole, in Norfolk.Reform UK has been vocal about its opposition to net zero plans, which are being backed by the energy secretary Ed Miliband.While local councils do not have the power to stop such projects, Sean Matthews, the leader of Lincolnshire County Council, has promised to take drastic action to stop them going ahead in the area.“Ed Miliband is hell-bent on destroying Lincolnshire with his energy developments… but I’m going to put my wellington boots on and lie down in front of his bulldozers,” he told The Telegraph. “I want a better environment for my grandchildren.”Sean Matthews, the leader of Lincolnshire County Council, has promised to take drastic action to stop projects going ahead in the area More

The intervention by Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, on Monday morning to spare the blushes of Keir Starmer was significant. And it follows a deliberate pattern of engagement between a right-wing White House and a centre-left Downing Street that has been in evidence throughout this year.Things were getting out of hand for the UK prime minister over his involvement in the Middle East peace process.The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, and the Israeli government had publicly humiliated the British government by pouring scorn on a statement made by education secretary Bridget Phillipson claiming that the UK had played a significant role in achieving the deal.The decision by Starmer to recognise a Palestinian state clearly still rankled, both in Tel Aviv and among members of the wider Trump administration, and they were in no mood to give the British prime minister any credit at all. But as Starmer faced international embarrassment ahead of flying out to Egypt for the signing of the Gaza deal, the Trump administration came to his aid.Witkoff, almost certainly under instruction from the US president, posted on X (formerly Twitter): “I would like to acknowledge the vital role of the United Kingdom in assisting and coordinating efforts that have led us to this historic day in Israel. In particular, I want to recognize the incredible input and tireless efforts of National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell.”One of the more notable things about this was the political cover it afforded Powell in particular, who is facing demands that he be sacked following a row over the collapse of a case against two alleged Chinese spies. Donald Trump has bailed out Keir Starmer once again as the British PM was facing international humiliation More

Donald Trump has questioned whether Sir Tony Blair would serve on a new “Board of Peace” that is intended to oversee the governance of Gaza, amid ongoing criticisms of the former prime minister for his role in the Iraq war.Sir Tony, who met the deputy chief of the Palestinian Authority on Sunday, took the UK into the controversial Iraq war in 2003 and then served as Middle East envoy for the quartet of international powers – the US, the EU, Russia and the UN – after leaving office.Earlier this month, Mr Trump unveiled a 20-point peace plan for the Middle East, saying Sir Tony would be among a group of international leaders that would oversee a transitional governing committee for Gaza.But asked whether he had spoken with Sir Tony about the possibility of his involvement in the peace plan, the US president told reporters: “I have, but first I want to find out that Tony would be popular with all, because I just don’t know that.“I like Tony, I have always liked Tony. But I want to find out that he is an acceptable choice to everybody.”Donald Trump: ‘I like Tony, I have always liked Tony’ More

“Reduce taxes for working people”, declared Reform UK as the party pledged £90 billion in tax cuts ahead of last year’s general election, where it won 14 per cent of the vote and five seats in Parliament.The party’s “Our Contract with You”, which featured the word “tax” on 58 occasions across the 26-page manifesto, said it would increase the income tax personal allowance to £20,000, while raising the threshold for paying the higher rate to £70,000.The party also pledged to scrap inheritance tax on estates under £2 million. But after The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) questioned the realism of its tax plans, and opinion polls now suggest a lack of voter trust on its fiscal responsibility, party bosses appear to be rethinking earlier plans.After deputy leader Richard Tice’s told the BBC in September that the manifesto was “not appropriate” for the next election, leader Nigel Farage will look set to go a step further by saying he will break the 2024 policy to make £90 billion in cuts.Nigel Farage will deliver a speech next month, outlining his part’s economic campaign ahead of the next general election More

Rachel Reeves has been warned against a tax raid on pensions and levying an annual wealth tax, as the chancellor weighs up options to fill a black hole of at least £30bn at the upcoming budget. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) warned that restricting income tax relief on pension contributions “should be avoided” and repeated its cautions against an annual wealth tax, which it says would penalise savers, or increasing stamp duty.Instead, they said the chancellor could raise tens of billions from tax reforms without breaking Labour’s manifesto pledges – but urged her to avoid “half-baked fixes” to Britain’s economic woes at the Budget. Rachel Reeves is looking at different options to rescue Britain’s troubled finances More