Responding to the Prime Minister’s announcement of a compulsory UK-wide digital ID scheme, Alex Hall-Chen, Principal Policy Advisor for Employment at the Institute of Directors, said:

“We welcome the Government’s proposals to introduce a compulsory digital ID scheme. Our own survey data shows that 62% of business leaders support the introduction of a single, free, mandatory digital right-to-work card.

“Digital identification has a crucial role to play in streamlining and modernising compliance processes. It will reduce administrative burdens and improve accuracy in right-to-work checks, which are currently clunky and cumbersome for employers. Done well, this reform can both strengthen public trust and enhance the UK’s competitiveness by making it easier to recruit and onboard staff.

“The IoD looks forward to working with the government to ensure the new digital ID scheme is delivered in a way that meets the needs of businesses and employees alike.”

Full survey results

449 responses from across the UK, conducted between 13-30 June 2025. 12% ran large businesses (250+ people), 18% medium (50-249), 24% small (10-49 people), 32% micro (2-9 people) and 14% sole trader and self-employed business entities (0-1 people).

Currently, employees can use a range of different documents and credentials to prove their right to work in the UK to an employer.

Do you think the UK government should replace these with a single, free, mandatory digital right-to-work card that would be stored on employees' smartphones and verified by employers using a free verifier app?

Strongly agree	30.50%
Agree	31.00%
Neither agree nor disagree	16.70%
Disagree	7.60%
Strongly disagree	11.10%
Don't know	3.10%