UK officials told MPs that the government scrapped only its proposed national digital ID product, not the wider digital identity infrastructure now being built around GOV.UK One Login and a government digital wallet. At a Public Accounts Committee hearing, officials said more than 80 digital credentials are planned, private-sector testing is already open, digital driving licence use with businesses is being trialed, and broader rollout is targeted for 2027, while MPs raised concerns about consent and cross-department data sharing.
Why it matters: This affects UK residents because identity, benefits, licensing, and background-check credentials may still move into a centralized digital ecosystem even after the headline ID plan was dropped. Privacy, surveillance, and security implications now depend on how consent, data sharing, and private-sector integration are implemented and audited.
2026.10.20
100% relevant
This article establishes a concrete policy and implementation story: despite political cancellation of a national digital ID scheme, the underlying UK government digital identity infrastructure and wallet program are continuing with specific deployment plans.
← Back to all stories