Members of the public will be paid £550 each to take part in shaping the UK Government’s proposed digital ID system, as ministers attempt to build support for the controversial scheme.
Up to 120 citizens will be selected at random to join a “people’s panel” as part of a wider consultation on the national digital identity programme. Participants will attend seven workshops totalling 33 hours, with full payment awarded to those who complete all sessions.
The panel will meet in Birmingham over two weekends, alongside additional online sessions scheduled for May and June. Travel and accommodation costs will also be covered.
The initiative forms part of a broader consultation process expected to cost taxpayers around £830,000. Of this, approximately £630,000 has been allocated to the public panel, with just under £200,000 set aside for outreach work targeting marginalised and underrepresented groups.
The move comes amid ongoing debate and public concern over the introduction of digital ID in the UK.
Initial proposals unveiled last September included mandatory digital right-to-work checks for all new employees, requiring businesses to verify workers’ eligibility through the system. The plan sparked widespread backlash, with a petition opposing the scheme attracting nearly three million signatures — one of the largest in UK parliamentary history.
In response, the Government dropped the compulsory requirement for workers in January, although the wider digital ID programme continues to move forward.
As part of the consultation, ministers are also engaging with groups considered digitally excluded, including older people, low-income households, those experiencing homelessness, domestic abuse survivors and care leavers.
Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, said the aim of the scheme is to improve how public services operate.
Digital ID is “going to be about making public services work for ordinary people”, he said, adding that understanding public concerns is essential: hearing where “their frustrations lie when engaging with the state is going to be absolutely key to getting this right”.
He acknowledged declining public trust in government decision-making.
“Public trust in the state has been declining for years… and people too often feel shut out of decisions,” he said.
“This consultation is going above and beyond to bring people in — to all the big debates, and the knotty trade-offs too… so it’s not just the loudest or most powerful voices who are being heard.”
Despite earlier changes, digital right-to-work checks are still expected to become mandatory by 2029, meaning employers will need to verify documents digitally rather than manually.
However, individuals will not be required to use a government-issued digital ID, as existing documents such as passports, eVisas and other accepted forms of identification will remain valid.
A wider rollout of digital ID — potentially covering areas such as benefits, banking and age verification — is not expected until the 2030s.
The Government has also confirmed there will be no legal requirement for citizens to hold or present a digital ID once the system is introduced, with physical documents continuing to be accepted.