Northern Ireland's deputy First Minister tells Keir Starmer Digital ID scheme could create a 'people border' inside the UK
The Prime Minister should drop his proposals for a mandatory Digital ID scheme to ensure that he is not responsible for creating a “people border” between Northern Ireland and the rest of the country, the deputy First Minister has said.
Emma Little-Pengelly has warned that the Labour government’s plans could create a “carve out” for Northern Ireland – something the DUP minister says would “simply not be acceptable”.
Her comments come after the Secretary of State refused to rule out a different set of arrangements for Northern Ireland under the ‘Brit Card’ scheme – after nationalists claimed that it would breach the Belfast Agreement.
Mr Benn said any scheme would be compliant with the 1998 deal – and also revealed that the government had been in discussions with Ireland on the matter.
Sir Keir Starmer says they can be used to tackle illegal immigration, as anyone starting a new job or looking to rent a home would be required to show the card on a smartphone app.
In a video posted on social media, the deputy First Minister said her party is opposed to digital ID, “not only because of those important issues around privacy, but we don't think that this is going to achieve the outcome that the Prime Minister has set out”.
She added: “There are a number of different ways to tackle the black market employment of illegal immigration. The UK government does need to get a grip of that immigration, but digital ID is not the way to go.
“But importantly, there cannot be a carving out of Northern Ireland from what happens. We're calling on the Prime Minister to drop the proposals for the entirety of the UK.
“It would simply not be acceptable that there is a people border that is created in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. So the prime minister has to have a big rethink about what he's doing. He should drop these proposals, get a grip of immigration by looking at a range of other options. But of course, importantly, make sure that he is not responsible for creating that barrier, a further barrier – people barrier – in the Irish Sea, within the UK”.
The mandatory ID card will include an individual’s name, date of birth, nationality or residency status, and a photo. The DUP has previously said its MPs will not support the plans in parliament – and described the plan to make the scheme compulsory as “worrying”.
The Ulster Unionist Party has branded the plans “intrusive” and a threat to liberty and privacy – arguing they would fundamentally threaten “the rights and freedoms of citizens across the United Kingdom”.
The TUV are also opposed. This week the party’s deputy leader Ron McDowell slammed Hilary Benn over his “refusal to give a straight answer” on whether Northern Ireland will face a different regime than the rest of the country – saying such a move would be “unacceptable”.
There have also been questions about whether the scheme would be workable without a parallel system in the Republic of Ireland, given the Common Travel Area between the two nations.
However, concerns have been raised on both sides of the border about the ease with which illegal migrants can travel unchecked.
On Wednesday in the Irish parliament, Aontú TD Paul Lawless called for a “sea border for people” – claiming that 88% of asylum seekers now arrive from Great Britain via the Irish border. He said the scheme would cause a “spill-over” of illegal migrants into Ireland.