Starmer meets Modi: What the UK can learn from India’s digital IDs

The UK is eyeing India’s digital ID system, Aadhar, for inspiration for its own ‘Brit Card’. But critics say it is fraught with problems.

By Yashraj Sharma

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On his first visit to India since becoming the United Kingdom’s prime minister last year, Keir Starmer has met with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, in Mumbai, the country’s financial capital, alongside a caravan of British business and cultural leaders.

In particular, Starmer wants to know more about India’s mammoth digital ID system – which logs the world’s largest population, with more than 1.3 billion cards issued – two weeks after announcing a controversial digital ID system for the UK.

Starmer hailed India’s ID system as a “massive success” as he defended that announcement, which has been met with criticism from rights groups.

During his trade-centric visit to Mumbai, Starmer also held a meeting with Nandan Nilekani, cofounder and chair of Indian tech services group Infosys, who headed the government body which delivered the ID database more than a decade ago.

So, why is Starmer so interested in India’s ID system? What are the concerns in the UK? And what can London learn from mistakes made in New Delhi?

Starmer has pitched the new digital ID, to be known as a “Brit Card”, at the core of his plans to tackle irregular migration and exploitative work practices in the UK.

A digital ID system “will make it tougher to work illegally in this country, making our borders more secure”, Starmer said last month.

In addition to verifying that a person is permitted to work in the UK, the Brit Card will also offer citizens “countless benefits, like being able to prove your identity to access key services swiftly”, he said.

While ID cards have long been common in other Western European countries, the UK has a history of strong resistance towards them.

Speaking to reporters on his way to Mumbai this week, Starmer said he hopes, however, that digital IDs, which will become mandatory by