\n<\/p>\n
Keir Starmer is to examine India\u2019s digital ID system on his visit to Mumbai as a potential model for the UK, praising the system as a \u201cmassive success\u201d.<\/p>\n
Speaking on his two-day trip to Mumbai, where he met an expert on India\u2019s digital ID system, Starmer defended the introduction of a similar measure in the UK, saying he believed the rollout of a voluntary system could be expanded to school applications, mortgages and driving licences.<\/p>\n
Starmer met Nandan Nilekani, the non-exec chair of the tech company Infosys, to discuss the speed of the rollout in India and the transformation of the benefits system, which has cut bureaucracy \u2013 but also caused significant contention over the exclusion of some minorities.<\/p>\n
India\u2019s version of the scheme \u2013 Aadhaar \u2013 has been introduced over the past 15 years to almost all of its 1.4bn citizens.<\/p>\n
Starmer\u2019s spokesperson said the meeting was not about a potential commercial arrangement with Infosys, adding that the government aimed to build its own version of the scheme in the public sector.<\/p>\n
But his interest in the Indian scheme will be taken as another sign that the government hopes the ID scheme will be part of the UK benefits system in time.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters en route to Mumbai, Starmer said he hoped digital IDs, which have plummeted in popularity since his announcement, would regain public confidence because of the convenience they could provide.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know how many times the rest of you have had to look in the bottom drawer for three bills when you want to get your kids into school or apply for this or apply for that, drives me to frustration,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do think that we could gain a significant advantage. We\u2019re going to a country, India, where they\u2019ve already done ID and made a massive success of it. So one of the meetings I\u2019ll be having is about ID, in relation to that.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/span>Keir Starmer speaks to the British high commissioner to India, Lindy Cameron, and the British deputy high commissioner for western India, Harjinder Kang, in Mumbai.<\/span> Photograph: Leon Neal\/Reuters<\/p>\n The digital ID system in India is far more extensive than that announced by the UK government and holds biometric data as well as residential and contact information. Government sources said there was no intention to copy the system, but to examine the way it was used and implemented, handling 80m transactions a day.<\/p>\n It is considered a success, albeit with controversial implications, with estimates it has saved the Indian economy about \u00a311bn in administration and corruption costs.<\/p>\n Citizens are given a 12-digit identifying number, which replaces the need for multiple layers of paper documentation to prove their status when they take out bank accounts or apply for state benefits. Prior to the scheme, millions of babies would routinely not be registered at birth, leaving people struggling to access benefits or ways to prove their existence later in life.<\/p>\n Critics of the Indian scheme said it was introduced with little protection for personal data, and has caused problems among the poorest citizens, with some said to have been denied medical care or benefits for not having the ID.<\/p>\n Phone companies and banks have in some instances threatened to shut down accounts not linked to ID numbers, though a supreme court ruling has said it should not be mandatory for private services or education. Activists have also reported it being used to disenfranchise Muslim voters in the north of the country.<\/p>\n Starmer\u2019s spokesperson said the meeting was held because it was \u201cuseful to hear from the Indian experience; it has a very different inception and a different system, but it is used 80m times a day\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/span>Protesters gather near Downing Street to voice their opposition to the plans for digital IDs.<\/span> Photograph: Dan Kitwood\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Asked about some of the controversies with the Indian system, he said the UK system would have a different design \u2013 there are no plans to use biometric data so far. \u201cOne of core priorities is inclusivity and that\u2019s what the British consultation will be about,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Starmer said the scheme was essential to tackle illegal working, as the ID would be mandatory for employment, but that he hoped it would become a voluntary convenience measure for most British citizens.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what\u2019s happening and why it matters<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.<\/span><\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n The prime minister also hinted that the success of the UK\u2019s migrant returns deal with France hinged on the UK making a concerted effort to tackle illegal working. Rightwing parties have put the spotlight on gig economy companies such as UberEats and Deliveroo, where migrant workers have been able to use false identities to work.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to have returns agreements with countries, as we\u2019ve got with France, and we need to address the fact that too many people can come to this country and work illegally,\u201d Starmer said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s why ID mandatory for working is really important.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a case to be made about the benefits for voluntary ID into other areas, and obviously we need to make that case. I think it\u2019s a really important discussion for us to have. So on the one hand, it\u2019s mandatory for work, but I actually think it would be a good passport.\u201d<\/p>\n The government has not identified any private provider that can take part in the scheme, with the tech company Palantir saying it would not do so because the plan was not in the Labour manifesto and therefore had no mandate.<\/p>\n All opposition parties have said they would oppose the scheme, and there remain significant misgivings among some Labour MPs about the possibility of snowballing costs and data breaches.<\/p>\n Net support for digital ID cards fell from 35% in the early summer to -14% at the weekend after Starmer\u2019s announcement, according to polling by More in Common.<\/p>\n <\/span>The prime minister meets the Bollywood star Rani Mukerji during a visit to Yash Raj Films studio.<\/span> Photograph: Stefan Rousseau\/PA<\/p>\n Starmer will meet his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, on Thursday and make a keynote address at a fintech conference. The prime minister told a business delegation of more than 120 chief executives and cultural leaders that he hoped each one of them would have a deal to sign by the end of the trip.<\/p>\n On a visit to a Bollywood production studio, Starmer announced three new Bollywood blockbusters would be made in the UK from next year by Yash Raj Films, creating more than 3,000 jobs.<\/p>\n No 10 said deals signed during the trip would create about 7,000 jobs through Indian investment in the UK. Speaking at a visit to a football ground, Starmer denied business leaders had been pressing for liberalisation of visa rules.<\/p>\n \u201cNone of them have raised with me the question of visas. That wasn\u2019t part of the FTA (free trade agreement),\u201d he said. \u201cWhat this is about is providing opportunities for them to take advantage of the FTA, and even before it\u2019s fully enforced, the mood is very, very strong between India and the UK.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Keir Starmer is to examine India\u2019s digital ID system on his visit to Mumbai as a potential model for the UK, praising the system as a \u201cmassive success\u201d. 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