Overview
- The Home Affairs Committee, which released its report Tuesday, said the rushed launch of a government digital ID app was a fiasco that damaged public trust.
- The report urged ministers to write clear safeguards into the planned law so future changes face full debate and a formal vote in Parliament.
- MPs warned the government lacks a strong record on big IT projects and pressed for a detailed delivery plan with clear aims and independent oversight.
- After backlash to a plan to make the app mandatory for employer right‑to‑work checks, ministers dropped compulsion in January and ran an eight‑week consultation from March 10 to May 5 while proposing a Digital Access to Services Bill.
- Figures cited by Big Brother Watch put government ad spending on the programme at about £672,000, as MPs also asked for clarity on what documents people will need to work and what support will protect those at risk of exclusion.