UK Digital ID Update

The UK Government has taken a major step towards a nationwide digital identity infrastructure, launching its first operational pilot through the veterans’ digital ID card programme, available to 1.8 million former service personnel. The initiative enables veterans to download a secure credential to a smartphone, serving as both proof of service and a live testbed for the wider citizen digital ID scheme planned for national rollout before 2029.

The pilot is being treated as a cyber resilience and assurance exercise, assessing device-based credential storage and offline continuity mechanisms.

Digital Convenience

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed that the forthcoming national digital ID will be app-based rather than card-based, following the successful models of Denmark and Estonia. The credential will store verified attributes — name, nationality, date of birth, residency status and photograph — and is expected to become a standard identity instrument for employment checks and access to government services ¹.