LIVERPOOL, England (LifeSiteNews) — A protest was held outside the U.K.’s governing Labour Party conference in Liverpool over the weekend in opposition to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s plan to introduce mandatory digital IDs.
The protestors gathered on Sunday, September 28, carrying signs reading “No to Digital ID.” They warned that digital identification infrastructure may pave the way for a surveillance state, the Independent reports.
The protests came days after Starmer announced that no one in the U.K. would be allowed to work without the digital ID, known as the “BritCard.”
U.K. citizens have shown strong opposition to the government’s digital ID scheme, revealing how unpopular the plan is with large swaths of the population. Within a week of the announcement, more than 2.6 million people have signed a petition opposing the government’s plan to make the “BritCard” mandatory for all workers by 2029. According to the petition, “no one should be forced to register with a state-controlled ID system”, which it describes as a “step towards mass surveillance and digital control.”
Starmer and his government used the problem of illegal immigration, for which they are at least partly responsible, as a pretext to mandate digital ID.
“I know working people are worried about the level of illegal migration into this country,” the prime minister said. “A secure border and controlled migration are reasonable demands, and this government is listening and delivering.”
“Digital ID is an enormous opportunity for the U.K. It will make it tougher to work illegally in this country, making our borders more secure,” he argued.
The globalist NGO of the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the “Tony Blair Institute for Global Change,” is one of the premier proponents of the digital ID scheme.
“Most recently, the debate over digital ID has been dominated by its potential to help reduce illegal migration inflows and address public concerns that the government has lost control of Britain’s borders,” the Tony Blair Institute stated, playing into the narrative that illegal immigration is the reason mandatory digital ID is needed.
Former actor turned political commentator Russell Brand said that “Digital ID is back in Britain, sold as immigration control but reeking of surveillance.”
“Biometric data linked to finance makes your body the passport, turning freedom into permission,” he added.
Digital IDs are being introduced in countries around the world, showing a global effort of upping state surveillance. On Sunday, Switzerland narrowly voted in favor of introducing digital identification, after the first ballot on the matter failed to pass in 2021.