Contributions
154 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Digital IDI can assure my hon. Friend that the consultation will involve going right across the country to the places where people live, to listen, to engage and to build a consensus on the…15 Jan 2026HANSARD Digital IDI think I understood the hon. Member’s question, so let me have a crack at answering it. I will address the second part of her question first. The constituents who email her, who…15 Jan 2026HANSARD Digital IDI thank my hon. Friend for what I think were three questions, all of which I will try to answer. Our job in building this voluntary scheme, where people can get an ID if they want…15 Jan 2026HANSARD Digital IDAbout 25% of UK citizens do not have a passport, and 15% of people have never had a passport. There are millions of people right across this country who are currently digitally…15 Jan 2026HANSARD Digital IDI wholeheartedly agree. Toughening up our illegal labour market enforcement regime, and using digital right-to-work checks to do that, is a vital part of delivering this…15 Jan 2026HANSARD Digital IDWe announced the intention to roll out digital ID cards, and I have clarified today that those will be free for anyone who wants one. We will consult on how to make that maximally…15 Jan 2026HANSARDDigital IDIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Furniss. I thank the hon. Member for Keighley and Ilkley (Robbie Moore) for introducing this important debate today; I hope that…08 Dec 2025HANSARDDigital IDI will not. I have loads more to cover. Millions of people right now are digitally excluded. That is not a status quo that we are prepared to accept. We will need help to meet…08 Dec 2025HANSARDDigital IDHe will not. We are working with the UK’s leading national security experts, including the National Cyber Security Centre, to build a system with cutting-edge protections against…08 Dec 2025HANSARDDigital IDI was told that I have 11 minutes, and I have about 10 more minutes of my speech. I will not be taking interventions, so the hon. Member can sit down and stop asking. If we get…08 Dec 2025HANSARDDigital IDThose countries are placing their citizens’ consent at the centre of the system, and that is what we will build here in the UK. That takes me to our third principle: it will be…08 Dec 2025HANSARDDigital IDSecondly, nobody will be stopped and asked for this new digital credential by the police. No card, no papers, no police.08 Dec 2025HANSARDDigital IDTo clarify, I was not saying that contributions from other Members were lies. I was saying that there are lies out there in the country about this system. I would like to put that…08 Dec 2025HANSARDDigital IDI am told that I have 11 minutes. I want to do three things today, as I endeavour not to be hapless: first, to explain why we want to build this new national digital credential…08 Dec 2025HANSARDDigital ID SchemeAround the world and across Europe, countries use digital checks to evaluate whether someone has a legal right to work, but we do not. While we have brilliant digital verification…04 Dec 2025HANSARDDigital ID SchemeBuilding a new digital credential for UK systems is a major public good that we need to do carefully and take our time over. That is why, as I said, we will launch a major public…04 Dec 2025HANSARDDigital ExclusionLet me be clear about the status quo that the Conservative party left behind: millions of people right now are digitally excluded from accessing public services, and millions of…04 Dec 2025HANSARDDigital ID SchemeTo be very clear about right-to-work checks: the current system is not fit for purpose. The United Kingdom is out of whack with international peers, and that creates the…04 Dec 2025HANSARDDigital ID SchemeMr Speaker—[Hon. Members: “Bring back Chris.”] Sorry to disappoint! Over the past few months, I have begun to stand up a high-calibre team, working at pace to develop proposals…04 Dec 2025HANSARDDigital ExclusionIn this country, at present millions of people cannot access public services online, and millions lack the IDs that they need to go about their daily lives. That is the status…04 Dec 2025