BURNHAM TO SCRAP £2BN DIGITAL ID SCHEME

Andy Burnham will abandon the digital ID scheme and redirect resources towards cost-of-living support, according to reporting based on sources close to the incoming Prime Minister. The £2 billion programme had faced sustained opposition from Labour MPs who characterised it as wasteful and a threat to individual liberty. Keir Starmer had previously reversed plans to make the scheme compulsory following internal party resistance, and the policy is now set to be scrapped entirely.

The digital ID initiative had divided the Labour government before Starmer's departure. Multiple Labour MPs had publicly opposed the plan, citing concerns about its expense and its implications for civil liberties. The scheme was originally presented as necessary to prevent illegal working. A spokesperson for Burnham stated that resources previously allocated to the national ID scheme would be redirected to cost-of-living assistance and community-focused initiatives rather than centralised government programmes.

Burnham's decision to abandon the digital ID scheme forms part of a broader overhaul of government priorities. Sources indicate the incoming administration also plans to reverse reforms to jury trial rights and restore Labour MP Karl Turner to the parliamentary party, following his suspension for opposing those reforms. Burnham's team said the government would pursue a roadmap to restore international aid spending to 0.7 per cent of GDP to strengthen British soft power. The spokesperson said the administration would prioritise delivering tangible changes to everyday life over large-scale national schemes.