Andy Burnham, who will be the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, announced after assuming office on July 20 that he will cancel the government's digital identity card plan intended for all adult country citizens.
According to the information released by A. Burnham's office, this decision aims to redirect the government's attention to solving the daily problems of the population. It was stated that the financial and resource allocations planned for the digital identity card project will be directed towards reducing living costs and other priority areas.
It should be noted that the idea of a digital identity card was proposed last year by former Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the eve of the Labour Party's annual conference. Starmer believed that a mandatory digital identity system would strengthen the fight against illegal employment and further modernize public services.
The UK's Office for Budget Responsibility forecasted in November of last year that this program would cost approximately 1.8 billion pounds sterling over three years. However, at that time, the Prime Minister's office did not accept this estimate./AZERTAC