Fresh confusion has engulfed Labour’s proposed ‘Britcard’ scheme after a senior UK minister appeared to contradict himself in a live radio interview, prompting warnings of growing public concern over privacy, access to services, and government overreach.
Speaking on Good Morning Scotland on Thursday, Scotland Office Minister Ian Murray initially claimed the identity card would not be mandatory, only to later acknowledge it would be “mandatory for some purposes.”
The interview has drawn criticism from political opponents and privacy campaigners alike, with the SNP branding the proposal a “shambles” and vowing to block any rollout in Scotland.
George Adam MSP, the Scottish Government’s Parliamentary Business Minister, said the confusion exposed deeper flaws in Labour’s approach.
“Labour’s Britcard plans are already a shambles,” he said.
“The confusion on display this morning shows even their own ministers either don’t understand the policy or are trying to cover up the sinister details.”
Adam also suggested the scheme was being driven by Labour grandees from the past, warning:
“Ultimately it is Tony Blair who is pulling Labour’s strings on Britcards.
“That should send a shiver up the spine of everyone in Scotland.”
While Labour insists the digital identity scheme would streamline access to services and reduce fraud, critics say it risks creating new barriers, particularly for vulnerable groups and could lead to surveillance overreach and data misuse.
The SNP has confirmed that the Scottish Government will not give consent to the introduction of any such scheme north of the border.
“The Britcards raise real concerns around privacy, access to services, and the potential for exclusion,” said Adam.
“It would be a shocking waste of potentially billions of pounds at a time when Labour are doing nothing to help people with the cost of living crisis.”
The Labour Party has yet to publish full details of the Britcard plan, but the fallout from Thursday’s interview has fuelled growing scepticism around the scheme’s purpose, scope, and cost.
The SNP says it will do “everything it can” to stop the rollout of the Britcard system in Scotland, and has challenged Labour to drop the plans altogether.
With no clear explanation yet on how the system would work or who it would apply to, questions continue to mount, not just over policy, but over trust and transparency.
