Brits Turn Against National ID Cards
Public resistance to a national ID card scheme in the United Kingdom has grown significantly, according to a new poll by Ipsos.
The latest data shows that 40% of British adults now oppose the introduction of a national identity card programme, while just 32% support it, a major reversal from mid-2025, when 57 % were in favour and only 19 % were against.
In September, the Government announced plans to introduce a mandatory digital ID system by 2029. It said the IDs would be required to prove the legal Right to Work.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer argued at the time that they would “make it tougher to work illegally in this country, making our borders more secure.”
The shift reflects rising concerns about data privacy, civil liberties and trust in government.
Many respondents now question the necessity of ID cards given existing forms of identification, and a significant share worry about how personal information may be used or misused.
Among those who oppose an ID scheme, three in five (60%) don’t think they are necessary as they already have identification. 52% say they do not trust the government, with 48% believing it would be the start of a police state/big brother.
Polling suggests that opposition has increased across nearly every demographic group, particularly among voters associated with Reform UK.
Gideon Skinner, Senior Director of UK politics at Ipsos said the “latest findings confirm how much the public mood has become more sceptical towards a national identity card scheme, since it was first rumoured last summer.”
“Before the policy was officially announced, in principle most were in favour, reflecting a long-standing pattern in British public opinion – but even then there were latent concerns over the impact on privacy, a lack of confidence in government, and whether ID cards were needed in the first place, and the narrative since then has focused much more on these negatives rather than any potential benefits,” he said.
Skinner said that while security and convenience remain “attractive features” (yeah, sure) there’s “an undeniable increase in public scepticism rooted in these privacy concerns and a lack of trust in government to run the scheme.”
Perhaps Prime Minister Starmer took notes on public attitudes to surveillance on his visit to China?