 "UK PM Keir Starmer cited India’s Aadhaar system as an example, calling it a “massive success” and noting that learning from India’s experience could guide the UK’s own rollout. File Image/PTI")
On his first visit to India since becoming the United Kingdom’s prime minister last year, Keir Starmer met his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, in Mumbai, accompanied by an entourage of British business and cultural leaders.
During the visit, Starmer also met Nandan Nilekani, co-founder of Infosys and the chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), who launched India’s Aadhaar digital ID system over a decade ago.
According to The Guardian, Starmer’s office said the meeting was not about a commercial deal with Infosys, but aimed at understanding how India’s mammoth digital ID system works. Why? Because the UK government plans to develop its own national digital ID scheme.
But why is Britain so interested in India’s Aadhaar? Here’s what we know.
Why does the UK want a ‘Brit card’?
Last month, Starmer announced that Britain will launch a new digital ID and British citizens and permanent residents will need a compulsarily to work in the country.
He said the move is aimed at reducing unauthorised immigration by making it harder for people to work in the underground economy. At the same time, the digital ID could simplify access to public services like healthcare, welfare, childcare, and more.
“You will not be able to work in the United Kingdom if you do not have a digital ID. It’s as simple as that,” Starmer said. He added that the government should also encourage others to use it, as “it would be a good passport.”
He cited India’s Aadhaar system as an example, calling it a “massive success” and noting that learning from India’s experience could guide the UK’s own rollout.
“We are going to a country, India, where they’ve already done ID and made a massive success of it. So one of the meetings I will be having is about ID, in relation to that,” he told the media before leaving for Mumbai.
Speaking to journalists in Mumbai, Starmer explained the practical benefits. “I don’t know how many times the rest of you have had to look in the bottom drawer for three bills when you want to get your kids into school, or apply for this or apply for that,” he said, referring to the current system where identity checks rely on utility bills and other documents. “I do think we could gain a significant advantage.”
Despite falling public support for digital ID cards in the UK, and opposition parties pledging to reject the plan, Starmer remains optimistic.
Why the UK doesn’t want to replicate the Aadhaar system
In India, Aadhaar is widely used , with citizens’ biometric data stored by the UIDAI. But the UK has no plans to replicate it. Instead, authorities are looking at how Aadhaar was implemented to draw lessons, The Guardian reported.
Britain has not had compulsory identity cards for ordinary citizens since World War II. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair had tried to introduce biometric ID cards, but the proposal was stopped due to strong opposition from the public and Parliament.
Rights groups have also strongly criticised the idea of digital IDs in the UK, arguing that it could violate people’s privacy.
Silkie Carlo, the director of Big Brother Watch, a UK-based civil liberties and privacy advocacy organisation, warned in an Al Jazeera report that the system would “make Britain less free” and create “a domestic mass surveillance infrastructure that will likely sprawl from citizenship to benefits, tax, health, possibly even internet data and more”.
A petition against the proposal has gathered over 2.2 million signatures, calling the Brit Card “a step towards mass surveillance and digital control” and stating that “no one should be forced to register with a state-controlled ID system.”
However, before Starmer’s visit, UK officials had stressed that they are not looking to copy Aadhaar. A government spokesperson clarified that the system would not store biometric data, saying, “One of the core priorities is inclusivity and that’s what the British consultation will be about.”
Which other countries have Aadhaar-inspired systems?
Several countries, including Sri Lanka, Morocco, the Philippines, Guinea, Ethiopia, and the Togolese Republic, have implemented Aadhaar-like systems, often using the Modular Open-Source Identity Platform (MOSIP) developed in India.
Other nations like Uganda, Nigeria, Samoa, the Republic of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, and Tunisia have shown interest or are in the process of adopting similar digital identity platforms.
A team comprising top designers and others from software, database design, security and privacy departments is working on the project at IIIT, Bengaluru.
With input from agencies