Whitehall rejects £1.8B digital ID price tag – but won't say what it will cost

The UK government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology rejected the OBR’s £1.8bn cost estimate for its national digital identity scheme, stating costs will be determined after a delayed consultation defining scope, access, and use cases. Plans under consideration include a digitally enabled physical alternative for those without technology access, hosting data in secure UK cloud environments, and potentially extending digital IDs to 13–16-year-olds to support youth employment processes and online age verification aligned with the Online Safety Act 2023.