AB says no ID

Tuliptree

Mollygo
I’ll try again. The Labour government abandoned the ID scheme in January.

Tuliptree

If you say so - I really can’t be bothered.

That’s OK.

I don't think Starmer abandoned ID cards altogether - he changed from wanting them to be compulsory (so, presumably, free) to voluntary (presumably at a cost to the holders). In other words, he didn't abolish it, he changed the premise of it.

So if Burnham is scrapping the voluntary scheme (as opposed to the compulsory one), he is still abolishing something, but not the original ID card scheme.

I'm not too bothered one way or the other. Like 62Granny, I renewed my passport recently, but just for ID purposes. Health and health insurance costs mean I am unlikely to use it for travel, but these days we need ID, whether we like it or not - bank accounts and all sorts of financial transactions require it, as do applying for things such as bus passes. As I've said before, though, I have reservations about a single database that would allow a future malevolent government to create lists of people in different categories (eg religion, race, sexual orientation etc). Not because I am concerned now, but because we don't know what's round the corner politically.

Mollygo

I’ll try again. The Labour government abandoned the ID scheme in January.

If you say so - I really can’t be bothered

I’ll try again. The Labour government abandoned the ID scheme in January.

Mollygo

Political capital to make -definitely, from *scrapping something that your government had decided to abandon?

It said the government had abandoned the ID scheme in January so are you saying AB has only abandoned the watered down scheme, not the whole ID scheme that the Labour government abandoned in January?
Sounds a bit odd if you are, but scrapping something that’s already been abandoned by the government party you’ve just started to lead is equally odd.

I’ll try again - KS wanted a mandatory ID scheme. As a result of pressure, he then changed it ( watered it down ) to a voluntary ie not mandatory scheme. AB has now decided to scrap this latter version

Political capital to make -definitely, from *scrapping something that your government had decided to abandon?

It said the government had abandoned the ID scheme in January so are you saying AB has only abandoned the watered down scheme, not the whole ID scheme that the Labour government abandoned in January?
Sounds a bit odd if you are, but scrapping something that’s already been abandoned by the government party you’ve just started to lead is equally odd.

Mollygo

AB isn’t waiting. He’s already said it!
Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced he is scrapping the government's plans for a national digital ID scheme.

He’s already said it, but he didn’t mention the fact that it had been abandoned in January this year. So presumably it’s just an example of announced non-changes.

Good to know that the money saved by “scrapping” this already abandoned initiative is estimated to free up hundreds of millions of pounds per year.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced he is scrapping the government's plans for a national digital ID scheme.

What KS did earlier in the year was move from a compulsory id scheme It’s this watered down version that AB is apparently cancelling. So there is money ( and political capital ) to save.

I was in favour of digital ID, if it meant I didn't have to pay for it, ( well not too much) I have a driving licence so did by see it as much different tbh, and we both renewed our passports a few years ago purely for ID purposes, although we have never used them due to DH health problems, so if this meant you could stop the extra expense next time I would be ok with that.

AB isn’t waiting. He’s already said it!
Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced he is scrapping the government's plans for a national digital ID scheme.

He’s already said it, but he didn’t mention the fact that it had been abandoned in January this year. So presumably it’s just an example of announced non-changes.

Good to know that the money saved by “scrapping” this already abandoned initiative is estimated to free up hundreds of millions of pounds per year.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced he is scrapping the government's plans for a national digital ID scheme.

*held not help!

I simply cannot understand why anyone would object to digital ID?

Except on cost grounds.

Digital intel/info is kept on all of us and has done so for decades. Right back to when debit and credit cards were brought in.

I don’t object to it one iota and think much other data could be help in one place which would benefit almost everyone.

I think discussion re AB are best kept til he’s actually PM and on a dedicated thread, as should the drilling (or not) of oil .

www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/18/burnham-expected-to-reverse-ban-on-new-oil-and-gas-drilling

Interesting article about the short term thinking behind drilling in the North Sea.

I have the highest hopes of AB.
But then I did of Starmer.

Aveline

Nevertheless it's £7 billion more than nothing!

And it’s £7 billion that we can all praise AB for.

Nevertheless it's £7 billion more than nothing!

Aveline

Nevertheless oil and gas extraction in our waters has got to be a benefit to us. Hard to understand why it might not be.

Sadly not as much as it could have been. I believe the tax revenues are worth about £7bn which is peanuts compared to what it coukd have been

Nevertheless oil and gas extraction in our waters has got to be a benefit to us. Hard to understand why it might not be.

Smileless2012

My understanding is the UK has sovereign rights over any oil extracted from the North Sea Tuliptree.

Sovereign rights applies to jurisdiction not ownership. Thatcher made dsmn sure we gave the latter away

My understanding is the UK has sovereign rights over any oil extracted from the North Sea Tuliptree.

Aveline

I'm not bothered either way. The govt already knows who we are via passports, bus passes, tax etc. I hope they'll find another way to find undocumented people.
As for the drilling, why not? It'll create employment and reduce bills. Also reduce reliance on importing energy from abroad. Given all the current wars going on the pollution must be appalling. Ours must be a tiny drop in the ocean.

Yep agree with that 👍🏻

Great stuff. I hope he sticks to it & doesn’t flip flop 👍🏻

Several 100,000 jobs could be saved. Reduced need to import gas. Billions to be made in taxing oil revenues. Seems a no brainer to me.

Aveline

I'm not bothered either way. The govt already knows who we are via passports, bus passes, tax etc. I hope they'll find another way to find undocumented people.
As for the drilling, why not? It'll create employment and reduce bills. Also reduce reliance on importing energy from abroad. Given all the current wars going on the pollution must be appalling. Ours must be a tiny drop in the ocean.

My understanding is that the drilling will create some jobs but I don’t see how it will reduce bills or reliance on importing energy from abroad. We can’t keep any oil produced.

I’m disappointed. I thought we’d be more European in our approach to ID cards. Identify who is here and no card = no work/benefits - as in Spain.

However at present my bigger concern is the huge rise in Council Tax. Trafford Counsil have raised ours by an eye watering 7.4% this year! I pay more to them than my electricity and water bills combined. It’s frightening.

I'm not bothered either way. The govt already knows who we are via passports, bus passes, tax etc. I hope they'll find another way to find undocumented people.
As for the drilling, why not? It'll create employment and reduce bills. Also reduce reliance on importing energy from abroad. Given all the current wars going on the pollution must be appalling. Ours must be a tiny drop in the ocean.