Launch of veteran card will be used to test UK government’s digital ID scheme
Former military personnel will be used to test and refine the government’s divisive digital ID scheme from Friday, when ministers make a smartphone-based veteran card available to 1.8 million people.The proof of service, which in its current physical version gives access to charities, retail discounts and certain public services, will be the first of a series of official credentials the government wants to let people carry in a government app.Digital driving licences will be in development by the end of this year and by the end of 2027, digital versions of every government-issued credential – including disclosure and barring checks – will be offered for voluntary use, officials said.Keir Starmer wants to make carrying a digital ID mandatory for anyone wanting or needing to prove their right to work in the UK by the end of this parliament.
That plan sparked cross-party opposition and a 2,9 million-signature petition calling for it to be dropped,But the technology secretary, Liz Kendall, this week complained of “scaremongering” and said digital IDs would not be used to track citizens and “there will be no pooling of people’s private information into a single, central dataset”,Ministers hope the digital veteran card will show how the technology works and quash public concerns about privacy and security,Kendall said it “will help remove barriers, reduce red tape and make it easier for people to access the public services they need”.
The Royal British Legion, the veterans’ charity that sells poppies, called the card “a positive development” and said it could improve access to services and benefits for the armed forces communities.But other veterans oppose it.Stephen Kent, the media director of Veterans Association UK, a small not-for-profit members’ group, said: “We don’t need it.It’s not for what Labour says it’s for ….A lot of veterans don’t like the idea of it [and that they] are using us as an experiment.
”Veterans will be able hold the credential in a smartphone app called Gov.uk One Login.The government had previously said digital credentials, including the veteran card, would be held in an app called the Gov.uk Wallet.It now says it will “transition to talking about [One Login] as the Gov.
uk Wallet” as more government-issued credentials become available digitally,The credential will be stored under encryption in the app in a similar way to a train or concert ticket is held in an Apple or Google wallet,Verification by face ID or a fingerprint will be required to access it and the government says it is safer than physical IDs,Another version of the credential will be held by the Ministry of Defence and when more IDs are added, the information will remain with each issuer and in the citizens’ app so there is no central database of all ID data creating what some have feared could be a “honeypot for hackers”,The Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Scottish National party have all opposed the digital ID plan.
Labour opponents include the MP Richard Burgon, who said it threatened “civil liberties and our data security and [creates] the risk of our data being handed over to US tech giants”.Kendall told parliament on Monday the government “absolutely will not” hand over control of any digital ID system containing information about people’s lives.Ministers have said they expect it to be built by the government’s in-house digital services department.Industry estimates suggest it could cost about £1bn to set up.Kendall also ruled out the system ever allowing the government to track location, consumer spending habits or social media activity.
And she said that at no stage in the future would people be required by the police to produce the digital ID.MPs have voiced fears it could be weaponised by future governments.The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know.If you have something to share on this subject, you can contact us confidentially using the following methods.Secure Messaging in the Guardian appThe Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories.
Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs,This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said,If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu,Select ‘Secure Messaging’,SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and postIf you can safely use the Tor network without being observed or monitored, you can send messages and documents to the Guardian via our SecureDrop platform.
Finally, our guide at theguardian,com/tips lists several ways to contact us securely, and discusses the pros and cons of each,
‘Inspiring’ Lewis Moody will make it a day of emotion at Leicester-Bath clash
Emotions are bound to run high at Welford Road on Saturday, and not just because Bath are in town to renew one of the great rivalries in English rugby.Not even because Leicester’s round-four date with the reigning champions is a repeat of last season’s final, a little over four months ago, when Johann van Graan’s side resisted a fierce Tigers fightback at Twickenham to claim their first league title in 29 years.The emotion for Leicester fans, in particular, will be generated by an appearance from Lewis Moody, the former England flanker, who revealed this month he has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease. Moody spent 14 seasons with the East Midlands club, amassing 223 appearances and scoring 32 tries. Perhaps it is less well remembered that he was a two-club man who finished his career at Bath, finally forced to retire due to injury in 2012
Your Guardian sport weekend: Premier League returns, F1 in the US and World Cup cricket
Here’s how to follow along with our coverage – the finest writing and up-to-the-minute reportsThe opening Ashes Test in Perth on 21 November is drawing ever closer, but first England touch down across the Tasman for a limited-overs tour of New Zealand, beginning in Christchurch on Saturday with the first of three T20s. White-ball cricket as a warm-up for the greatest Test series of them all might seem curious but the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka follows hot on the heels of the Ashes. England’s last visit to Asia this year saw them lose 10 out of 11 matches, including seven from eight in India, but Harry Brook’s side are targeting the trophy he helped them win in Australia in 2022. Brook is back to lead the side after being rested last month in Ireland, where Jacob Bethell became England’s youngest men’s captain, aged 21, and guided them to a 2-0 T20 series win. When they last had a full complement, England became the first Test nation to score 300 in a men’s T20, with Phil Salt and Jos Buttler flaying South Africa’s bowlers to all parts at Emirates Old Trafford
‘Great day for the region’: York join Toulouse in 14-team Super League
York Knights’ owner, Clint Goodchild, believes the club’s historic promotion to the Super League for the first time is a watershed moment for the whole of North Yorkshire, after they and Toulouse were granted admission to the top flight in 2026 and London Broncos missed the cut.The Knights will play in rugby league’s highest division for the first time since 1986 after they were selected by an independent panel alongside Toulouse to join the top 12 from Thursday’s IMG gradings and expand the Super League to 14 teams for the first time in more than a decade.Bradford Bulls, who finished 10th in those gradings, replace Salford Red Devils from this year’s 12-team lineup. The Knights, who were playing in League 1 as recently as 2018, and Toulouse have joined the Bulls among the elite after both dominated on the field throughout 2025.Goodchild, who bought the club in 2022, said York and the wider area were long overdue such success after the Knights became the first professional sporting team from there to play in a top division in almost 40 years
The beautiful stroll: England’s seniors take walking football to world stage
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Owen Farrell to miss out on England recall for autumn internationals
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Sadia Kabeya: ‘Meeting others in rugby who look like me brought me out of my shell – I can be myself now’
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