LONDON: Britain's next leader, Andy Burnham, will scrap government plans for a digital ID scheme when he takes office, signalling his intention to focus resources on kitchen table issues such as the cost of living, his allies said. Dubbed the 'King of the North' for his work as the mayor of Greater Manchester in northwestern England, Burnham will replace Keir Starmer as prime minister on Monday, when he says he will also unveil his cabinet team of top ministers.
Burnham's office said one of the first things he would do was ditch a plan for all employees to hold a digital identity document, a scheme designed to tackle illegal migration but deemed to be a "fiasco" by a cross-party committee of lawmakers. Starmer dropped the requirement for the ID to be mandatory in January after criticism.
"All the time and resource that was going to be spent on a national ID scheme will go instead to where it's most needed, such as helping with the cost of living," Burnham's spokesperson said in a statement. Identity cards were abolished in the UK after World War Two, and Britons typically use documents such as passports and driving licences to prove their identity. — Reuters
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
