LONDON (Chatnewstv.com) — Britain’s Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has launched a campaign against Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s proposal to introduce mandatory digital identification, calling it an attack on personal freedoms and a dangerous government overreach.
“Keir Starmer wants to force you to have a Digital ID. And if you don’t, you won’t be able to do many of the everyday things we take for granted,” Badenoch said in a message to supporters on Saturday.
Badenoch argued the plan would give the Labour government too much power over citizens’ daily lives, citing existing controversies over online restrictions and arrests linked to social media posts.
“They’re arresting people for tweets. They’re blocking access to websites and content they don’t want you looking at. Now they want to stop you getting a job or a house, unless you carry digital identification,” she said.
The Labour government has defended the Digital ID plan as a measure to strengthen identity checks, prevent fraud and streamline access to services. Starmer’s office has argued that the policy will prevent people from obtaining jobs or housing illegally and provide more secure systems for both individuals and businesses.
Badenoch, however, questioned whether the government could be trusted to safeguard citizens’ private information.
“In the days of sophisticated cybercrime, and a government machine already doing too many things badly – how can we trust the government to keep our information safe? We can’t,” she said.
She urged supporters to sign a petition opposing the plan, drawing parallels to past campaigns where the Conservatives pressured Starmer into U-turns.
“Over 330,000 people backed our campaign to save Winter Fuel Payments. Keir Starmer U-turned. We worked with victims and campaigners to force him to U-turn on a national inquiry into the Grooming Gangs,” Badenoch said. “So together, let’s make Keir Starmer U-turn again.”
The petition is the latest move by Badenoch as she seeks to frame herself as the defender of civil liberties against what she describes as Labour’s expanding control of everyday life.
