Former prime minister Tony Blair and ex Tory leader William Hague have called for digital IDs in the UK.

In a new report, the two propose a “secure” and “privacy-preserving” digital ID for Brits that will allow them to quickly interact with government services and give the state the ability to "better target support".

“In a world in which everything from vaccine status to aeroplane tickets and banking details are available on our personal devices, it is illogical that the same is not true of our individual public records,” write the former leaders.

They said that rather than creating a marketplace of private-sector providers to manage government-issued IDs, the government should create a private and decentralised digital-ID system. This would make it cheaper and easier to access a range of goods and services online and in person, including benefits, claim the pair.

"It could even help the government move to a more proactive model, meeting people’s needs before they apply for a service, tailoring the services and support they are offered to their individual circumstances and reducing administrative burdens on both individuals and the public sector," they continue.

The report says that while the UK has made only tentative steps towards sharing data among public sector organisations, by contrast in Estonia, a data-exchange layer called X-Road connects these systems and allows citizens to permit certain bodies to access information held on them by other parts of government.

This data-exchange system is underpinned by the 'Once-Only' principle, a legally binding requirement on the government not to request information from citizens if it is already held by another government entity.

The proposals urge the government to legislate for this principle to drive proportionate data-sharing between government agencies.

The document said that a digital-ID system rooted in data architecture like this could mean UK citizens can make better use of their own data, for example by by using proof-of-mobile bill payments to support their credit rating, or by being able to prove school-attendance records as part of a job application.

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