The UK's national digital ID programme, known as the Brit Card, has been cancelled. Announced by then prime minister Keir Starmer in September 2025, the scheme was scrapped by his successor, Andy Burnham, and the programme was formally closed by 8 September 2026. Britain will not get a compulsory national digital ID card under the plan as it stood.

Why was the digital ID scheme scrapped?

The plan was one of the most contested policies of recent years, drawing sustained public and parliamentary opposition. Officials told MPs that the government had scrapped plans for a new identity product altogether, saying existing tools could do the job instead. The government's own response to Parliament confirms the national programme will not proceed, including its proposed mandatory use for right to work checks.

What digital identity tools still exist?

Scrapping the card did not end digital identity work. GOV.UK One Login, the sign-in and identity-checking service running since 2022, continues to expand and generated £752 million in benefits between April 2022 and August 2026. The government is also building GOV.UK Wallet, designed to hold more than 80 types of official documents, and work continues on a digital driving licence and a digital Veteran Card.

Employers must still carry out right to work checks, but the government will not require them all to be done digitally. From 1 October 2026, employers who choose a digital verification service must use one certified against the official trust framework and listed on the statutory register.