&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Impressed’ by India’s Aadhaar, PM Keir Starmer plans Brit Card for UK citizens")
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has applauded India’s Aadhaar digital identification as a “massive success” and announced plans for a similar digital identity programme, the Brit Card, in the UK while drawing lessons from India’s experience for their own unique ID system. Unlike Aadhaar, Brit Card will not use biometric data and will initially target illegal employment. Starmer met Nandan Nilekani, Infosys co-founder and a key architect of Aadhaar, during his recent two-day visit to Mumbai and discussed how the system rapidly scaled to benefit nearly 1.4 billion citizens. Aadhaar assigns a unique 12-digit biometric ID to residents, streamlining access to welfare, banking, and other services while reportedly saving India billions in administrative costs.
Brit Card will focus on curbing illegal employment
Starmer emphasised that the Brit Card will differ from Aadhaar by excluding biometric data and focusing initially on curbing illegal employment.
“I don’t know how many times the rest of you have had to look in the bottom drawer for three bills when you want to get your kids into school or apply for this or apply for that—it drives me to frustration,” he told reporters, highlighting the convenience digital IDs could offer.
Starmer also linked the Brit Card to immigration enforcement, stressing its role in tackling illegal working as part of broader migration agreements, including with France.
Right-wing parties have spotlighted gig economy platforms allegedly misused by undocumented workers. Despite controversies, Starmer expressed confidence that the UK could gain “a significant advantage” by learning from India’s successful digital ID model, aiming to build public trust while addressing employment and immigration challenges.
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Opposition parties, some Labour MPs raise concerns about privacy risks, govt overreach
The UK government has not yet partnered with private tech firms for the programme. Meanwhile, opposition parties and some Labour MPs have raised concerns about rising costs, privacy risks, and potential government overreach. Public support has reportedly declined since Starmer’s announcement amid fears of data breaches and civil liberties violations.
While Aadhaar helps provide welfare and services, the Brit Card will have a different focus—initially targeting the prevention of illegal migrant workers—even as it faces significant public opposition over privacy concerns and fears of government overreach.
Aadhaar, launched over 15 years ago, now covers nearly 1.4 billion citizens and streamlines access to banking, welfare, and other services by assigning a unique 12-digit biometric ID number to residents. The system is credited with saving the Indian economy billions in administrative costs and corruption.
