How Starmer could introduce a Digital ID through the back door
Key Points
- The UK government U-turned on mandatory Digital ID in January 2026 after public support swung from a 35 point lead to a 14 point deficit
- The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 received royal assent on 29 April and requires VPN age checks within 12 months
- Ministers could specify Digital ID as the approved age proof method for VPNs, social media and messaging apps under the new Act
- The Cabinet Office Digital ID consultation closed on 5 May 2026 and the DSIT online harms consultation closes on 26 May
- A Parliament petition opposing mandatory Digital ID gathered 2.9 million signatures before the government's U-turn
The government’s Digital ID scheme is officially voluntary until 2029, but new powers in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 could make Digital ID the de facto requirement for using a VPN, social media account or messaging service in the UK.
The Cabinet Office’s Digital ID consultation closed on 5 May 2026, six days after the schools bill received royal assent on 29 April.
The two pieces of policy come from different departments, but taken together, they create a route for the government to mandate Digital ID for everyday online services without passing a law that explicitly requires it.
A U-turn that left the back door open
Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced compulsory Digital ID for workers in September 2025, framing the scheme as a way to combat illegal working.
Net public support for Digital ID swung from a 35-point lead to a 14-point deficit the weekend after the announcement, according to More in Common polling.
A Parliament petition opposing the plans gathered 2.9 million signatures. In January 2026, the government abandoned the compulsory element and pushed full rollout to 2029.
The current government position is that Digital ID will be voluntary, that no central database will hold everyone’s personal data, and that users will be able to delete their credentials.
The Cabinet Office consultation which closed this week sets out three design principles: useful, inclusive and trusted.
The new powers in the Schools Act
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, which received royal assent on 29 April, requires the Secretary of State to make regulations within 12 months prohibiting the supply of VPN services to UK children.
That same provision could allow ministers to require people to verify their age through a particular method, including a government-issued Digital ID.
The Act also gives ministers power to compel user-to-user services, including social media platforms, video sharing sites and messaging apps, to use highly effective age assurance to keep under-16s off their services.
Once ministers lay those secondary regulations, every UK adult who wants to use a VPN, sign up to a social media account, or access an online service that the government classes as harmful to children would need to verify their age.
Digital ID is the most obvious method the government has been building.
Other options, including ID document upload and facial age estimation through third-party providers, exist but require users to share more sensitive data with private firms.
Timelines and what to watch for
The Cabinet Office Digital ID consultation closed on 5 May.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s online harms consultation, which covers VPN restrictions, social media age limits, livestreaming bans and curfews on app use, closes on 26 May 2026.
A People’s Panel for Digital ID will conclude its work on 21 June. The secondary regulations under the Schools Act follow after that.
Civil society groups have already linked the two policies as a point of concern. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and 12 other organisations wrote to MPs in December 2025, urging them to reject the Digital ID proposal, citing the petition and the risk of surveillance creep.
Labour MP Rebecca Long Bailey told the Commons during the December debate that the scheme risked building an infrastructure that could “follow us, link our most sensitive information and expand state control”.
While the government has pushed back timelines, the EFF notes that politicians have continued to explore ways to build out a digital ID system in the country, often fluctuating between different ideas and conceptualisations for such a scheme.
This means that secondary regulations, not primary legislation, could set the line between voluntary Digital ID and mandatory age verification.
If ministers specify Digital ID as the approved age proof method for VPNs or social media under the Schools Act, the scheme becomes a requirement for using those services in the UK, even though Parliament has not voted to make Digital ID itself compulsory.
