A spokesperson for the incoming prime minister says his Government would “put its focus where people need it right now”.

Andy Burnham will scrap plans for a government-issued digital ID for all British adults when he becomes prime minister. The move, which follows plans for new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, will shift focus to "the daily priorities facing people across the country", Burnham's office said. Under Sir Keir Starmer, the government had already watered down proposals to introduce a mandatory digital ID for workers in the UK. Now, by dropping the plans entirely Burnham's spokesperson said, 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". Ruthless plotter? Flip-flopper? Dad dancer? Insiders reveal the real Andy Burnham "This reprioritisation of public resource shows a change in direction towards improving everyday life and strengthening local economies over expensive national government schemes." Plans for a digital ID scheme had initially been introduced by Sir Keir ahead of Labour's conference last year. At the time, Starmer argued that mandatory digital ID for workers would make it easier to clamp down on immigrants working illegally and modernise the state.