First minister accused of lacking credibility over digital ID cards

The First Minister John Swinney has been accused of lacking “credibility” in his rejection of the UK-wide digital ID scheme. 

A proposal to implement digital ID cards was announced by the Labour Government in Westminster last month, intended to combat illegal working and make it easier to access government services. 

Swinney criticised the scheme on X (formerly known as Twitter), calling the scheme an “infringement” on people’s rights.  

The Scottish Conservative and Reform parties in Holyrood both criticised the first minister’s stance on digital ID cards, accusing him of supporting similar schemes that the SNP have introduced in the past. 

“I agree with the first minister’s stance on this,” said Tory MSP Murdo Fraser. “Though I would say gently to him that he would have more credibility on these issues if he had not been such an evangelist for the SNP’s hated named person policy, struck down by the courts for being an infringement of personal privacy.”  

The named person policy was a failed proposal by the government to introduce a specific “named person” who would monitor the wellbeing of every child in Scotland from birth to the age of 18. It was intended to be rolled out in 2016 but became mired in legal challenges. The scheme was scrapped after a ruling by the UK Supreme Court that some parts of the proposal were in contravention to rights of privacy underlined in the European Convention on Human Rights. 

Reform MSP Graham Simpson also questioned the first minister about an online identity scheme that first appeared in an SNP government paper from 2021. 

“Now that the first minister is apparently against such intrusion into our lives, can we assume these plans will not reappear,” said Simpson.  

The proposal was included in a strategy published in 2021 to outline how Scotland could fulfil its potential in a constantly evolving digital world. It outlined a system where users would be able to use an online service to prove who they were and if they are eligible for a service.  

In 2023 the Scottish Government launched the Scot Account system, which allows users to use one account to sign in to a variety of services and verify their personal information. Currently the system is available for a range of services, from witnesses in court cases to people applying to sell tobacco and nicotine products. Its goal is to reduce the number of accounts needed by the public to access government services. 

“I think there is a fundamental point of difference here, which is about the opportunity for access to public services through digital means if individuals wish to do so,” Swinney said. “That is fundamentally different from the mandatory proposition that is being advanced by the United Kingdom Government.” 

The UK government’s plan has faced widespread pushback, from all corners of the political spectrum. A petition titled “Do not introduce Digital ID cards” has over 2.7m signatures.  

“I note that prior to the prime minister’s announcement, opinion poll support for digital ID cards stood at 35 per cent in the early summer,” Swinney said. “After the prime minister announced the proposal, it fell to minus 14 per cent. So, it does seem to be the case that whatever the prime minister touches turns to dust.”