Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, Aug 08, 2025

Tony Blair and William Hague call for everyone to have digital ID cards

Tony Blair and William Hague call for everyone to have digital ID cards

The former Labour and Conservative leaders have put their political differences aside to push for the roll-out of digital ID.

Sir Tony Blair and Lord Hague have joined forces to urge the government to roll out "digital ID" as part of a "fundamental reshaping of the state around technology".

Their plan would involve a new ID incorporating details such as a passport, driving licence, tax records, qualifications and right-to-work status which could be stored on a mobile phone.

The former political rivals said the challenge of adapting to the new technological revolution meant putting party differences to one side.

Sir Tony was the Labour prime minister when Lord Hague led the Conservative party as the Opposition and the pair had many clashes at the despatch box.

"We both believe the challenge is so urgent, the danger of falling behind so great and the opportunities so exciting that a new sense of national purpose across political dividing lines is needed," the pair said in a joint article for The Times.

They warned that politicians were in danger of conducting a "20th-century fight at the margins of tax and spending policy" rather than grappling with the fundamental shifts required in the new era.

"We are living through a 21st-century technology revolution as huge in its implications as the 19th-century Industrial Revolution," they said.

The pair suggested a shake-up of Whitehall "including digital ID for every citizen, a national health infrastructure that uses data to improve care and keep costs down, and sovereign AI systems backed by supercomputing capabilities".

The Times reported that the pair's plan, published in a report with more than 40 recommendations, included:

* Appointing "executive ministers" from outside Parliament to rewire Whitehall's approach to science and technology

* Limiting the Treasury's power to manage science and technology investment

* Using AI to help teachers in schools and provide personalised support to pupils at home

* Offering tax breaks to stimulate pension fund investment in UK start-ups

On BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Sir Tony - who pushed to introduce ID cards as prime minister - said technology would overcome many people's concerns about online dangers.

Former prime minister Tony Blair is calling for digital ID for every citizen


"If you look at the biometric technology that allows you to do digital ID today, it can overcome many of these problems," he said.

"The world is moving in that direction, countries as small as Estonia and as large as India are moving in that direction or have moved in that direction."

He added: "Here's our problem: We're spending a lot, we're heavily taxed, and the outcomes are poor.

"So the question is what changes that situation? So if you take, for example, the ambition we have on climate, there is no way we can meet that ambition without changing planning. There's literally no way we can do it.

"And a lot of these things, they're not airy-fairy, they're actually about people's lives. People already live their lives digitally. The question is whether government and politics can catch up with that reality."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Increases Reward for Arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro to Fifty Million Dollars
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
OpenAI Launches GPT‑5, Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet
Embarrassment in Britain: Homelessness Minister Evicted Tenants and Forced to Resign
President Trump nominated Stephen Miran, his top economic adviser and a critic of the Federal Reserve, to temporarily fill an open Fed seat
The AI-Powered Education Revolution: Market Potential and Transformative Impact
Chikungunya Virus Outbreak in Southern China: Over 7,000 Hospitalized
French wine makers have seen catastrophic damage to vines that were almost ready to be harvested after the worst fires in more than 70 years burned through the south of the country
US Lawmaker Probes Intel CEO’s China Ties Amid National Security Concerns
Brazilian President Lula says he’ll contact the leaders of BRICS states to propose a unified response to U.S. tariffs
Trump Open to Meeting Putin as Soon as Next Week, with Possible Trilateral Summit Including Zelenskiy
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau spark dating rumors, joining high stakes world of celeb-politician romances
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to seek a breakthrough in the Ukraine war ahead of President Trump’s peace deadline
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Karol Nawrocki Inaugurated as Poland’s President, Setting Stage for Clash with Tusk Government
Trump Signals JD Vance as ‘Most Likely’ MAGA Successor for 2028
US Charges Two Chinese Nationals for Illegal Nvidia AI Chip Exports
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
U.S. Tariff Policy Triggers Market Volatility Amid Growing Global Trade Tensions
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
Representative Greene Urges H-1B Visa Cuts Amid U.S.-India Trade Tensions
U.S. House Committee Subpoenas Clintons and Senior Officials in Epstein Investigation
Sydney Sweeney Registered as Republican as Controversial American Eagle Ad Sparks Debate
Trump Accuses Major Banks of Politically Motivated Account Denials and Prepares Executive Order
TikTok Removes Huda Kattan Video Over Anti-Israel Conspiracy Claims
Trump Threatens Tariffs on India Over Russian Oil Imports
German Finance Minister Criticizes Trump’s Attacks on Institutions
U.S. Proposes Visa Bond of Up to $15,000 for Some Applicants
U.S. Farmers Increase Lobbying Amid Immigration Crackdown
Elon Musk Receives $23.7 Billion Tesla Stock Award
Texas House Paralyzed After Democrats Walk Out Over Redistricting
Mexican Cartels Complicate Sheinbaum’s U.S. Security Talks
Mark Zuckerberg Declares War on the iPhone
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Matt Taibbi Slams Media for Role in Russiagate Narrative
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
×