Digital veteran card could be case study for ID rollout, says minister

The launch of digital veteran cards could serve as a "case study" to ease concerns over the government's plans to bring in mandatory digital ID for anyone wanting to work, a minister has said.

About 300,000 ex-military with physical veterans cards can now download a digital version to a smartphone in a move to make it easier to prove their status.

Ian Murray, minister for digital government, said it was not a test run but it would likely be a "demonstration to the public" as it is the government's first digital credential to be stored in its One Login app.

Last month the government announced compulsory digital IDs in a bid to clamp down on illegal working.

That digital ID will be introduced by 2029 and mandatory in order to work, but concerns have been raised by civil liberty groups who argue that even a limited digital ID could pave the way for a more intrusive system, raising concerns about privacy, data security and government overreach.

The digital veteran card is optional but the government says it will allow former service personnel to show their entitlement in person to services such as GP and mental health support, supported housing, careers advice as well as reduced entry prices at museums and money off their shopping.

Those of the 1.8 million ex-service personnel in the UK without a veteran card can apply for one, which can take up to 10 weeks.

Murray said: "[It's] probably a demonstration to the public by default, in that sense, on the basis that this is the first use case for having a digital credential on your smartphone, and that digital credential is the first sort of verifiable one that government have now launched.

"So using a closed group like the 300,000 veterans is a really good case study to show that it does work.

"And it will be very beneficial, it shows the technology works, that shows that we can prove and dispense with some of those legitimate concerns around privacy and security and those kinds of issues."

The digital veteran card will be the first document to be stored in the government's One Login smartphone app, with digital driving licences set to follow at a later date.

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