New Delhi: In a landmark diplomatic and technological engagement, United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer began his India visit in Mumbai by meeting Nandan Nilekani, co-founder of Infosys and chairman of India’s Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) the architect of the Aadhaar system. The meeting underscored a critical agenda point in Starmer’s India tour: exploring India’s Aadhaar-based digital identity model as the blueprint for a new UK digital ID initiative.
Starmer’s government has recently announced its intention to introduce a mandatory digital identification system for all British citizens and permanent residents, aiming to streamline access to public services and tighten immigration control. While the initiative has sparked debate in the UK, Starmer has remained firm, calling India’s Aadhaar “a massive success story” that Britain can learn from.
Speaking to the media before leaving for Mumbai, Starmer said, “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 emphasized that the system could eliminate bureaucratic frustration for citizens who repeatedly have to furnish multiple documents for routine applications whether for school admissions or public services.
Last month, Starmer announced a national digital ID system that would become mandatory for employment eligibility in the UK. “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,” he declared. The initiative, he explained, would curb unauthorized immigration and simplify citizen verification processes for healthcare, welfare, and childcare benefits.
According to Downing Street, the new digital identity framework will be homegrown, not a commercial partnership with Infosys or other private Indian firms. Starmer’s spokesperson clarified that the meeting with Nilekani was intended for knowledge-sharing, not procurement. For now, the UK’s digital ID system will not include biometric data, setting it apart from India’s Aadhaar, which relies on fingerprints and iris scans for authentication.
The United Kingdom has long resisted the idea of national identity cards. Since World War II, no mandatory ID system has existed for ordinary British citizens, largely due to concerns over civil liberties and government overreach. Past attempts most notably under former Prime Minister Tony Blair to introduce biometric ID cards were met with fierce opposition from civil rights groups and Parliament, eventually leading to the scheme’s collapse.
Political analysts suggest that public skepticism remains a major hurdle. “There’s always been this feeling that Britain is not a so-called ‘Papers, please’ society, unlike continental Europe,” said Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, in an interview with the Associated Press. However, Bale also noted that given the increasing number of instances where citizens already need to prove identity both to government agencies and private entities a digital ID could, paradoxically, make life simpler.
Civil liberties advocates, however, warn that a compulsory ID system risks state surveillance and data misuse, particularly in the absence of a robust data protection framework. The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has reportedly raised preliminary concerns about how citizens’ digital identities will be stored, verified, and protected from cyber threats.
Nevertheless, the government argues that digital identity is inevitable in a modern economy, especially as more services migrate online. Proponents also point to India’s example where Aadhaar has been used for direct benefit transfers, e-KYC in banking, and streamlining of welfare schemes as proof that digital identity can enhance efficiency, inclusion, and transparency.
For India, the meeting serves as another recognition of its technological diplomacy the export of its successful digital infrastructure models to the world. Nilekani, who played a pivotal role in building Aadhaar, is expected to brief the UK delegation on data governance principles, interoperability architecture, and citizen enrollment strategies that made Aadhaar a global benchmark.
The discussion symbolizes more than a policy exchange; it represents a shift in global digital leadership, where nations of the Global South, like India, are influencing how advanced economies think about technology and governance.
As Starmer’s visit continues, the digital identity dialogue is likely to remain central not just for its technological potential but for the philosophical question it raises: how much control should a government have over identifying its people in a digital world?