Random Brits asked to decide how new digital ID will work

Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones launched the consultation today (Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)

The government has relaunched its controversial plans for digital ID again,with an intriguing new premise: they don’t know exactly what it’s going to do.

That small detail is going to be left to a 100-strong panel of random Brits,chosen to represent a cross-section of the population.

They will decide which aspects of public life are most in need of digital simplification – whether that’s childcare,tax,or even being told when your bins are next going out.

Whatever they pick – subject to a broader national consultation being launched today – will form part of an app with the new form of ID at its centre.

At a presentation on Downing Street this afternoon,Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones showed off a very early version of the app to demonstrate how it could work.

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Metro's senior politics reporter Craig Munro breaks down all the chaos into easy to follow insight,in Metro's politics newsletter Alright,Gov? Sent every Wednesday. Sign up here.It included small reminders of matters that should be taken care of in the coming month,such as vehicle tax or the confirmation of details for childcare funding.Jones did not play down the potential of the move,describing digital ID as a means to ‘build the foundations for new,modern public services’.He told reporters: ‘This will become the front door for how you access public services.‘Just like you do with online banking or shopping,you’ll be able to access all of the services you need in one place,ensuring that they are personal,joined up and easy to use.’But at the same time,he also insisted it would all be completely voluntary.Asked by Metro if he was suggesting this app would be so fantastic that the response of the public would be sufficient to refashion the face of the British state,Jones replied: ‘Yes.’Darren Jones said the app would start with ‘as little data as possible’ (Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)Comparing the creation of digital ID to the launch of the NHS in the 1940s and the Open University in the 1960s,he said the scheme would ‘support opportunity and access for all’.The Labour MP also sought to soothe concerns the app could become intrusive on people’s lives.He said: ‘On data,our baseline is to start with as little data as possible,enough simply to prove who you are are nothing more.‘But if more is needed to support other services in the future,for example by looking at address information,we will of course explore that with the public.’Jones told the press conference the government would be responsible for the design,build and running of the app,and all user data will be stored where it currently is – such as tax data being stored in the Treasury.A government official demonstrated how the new app would work close up (Picture: Craig Munro)According to the Office for Budget Responsibility,the government’s official fiscal watchdog,the digital ID scheme is estimated to cost £1.8 billion over the next three years.The plans have been on an extraordinary journey since first being announced around six months ago.Sir Keir Starmer initially said it would be mandatory for all Brits to have a digital ID and heavily linked it to his government’s efforts to curb illegal working.An official Parliamentary petition opposing the plans became one of the most supported in history by reaching almost three million signatures.In January,the mandatory aspect of the scheme was shelved and ministers began putting a much stronger focus on the modernisation and improvement of public services.It is anticipated the digital ID – an official government proof of identity,which can be used as age verification in pubs and shops – will form part of a wallet in the app,along with the digital driving licence which is to be rolled out more widely this summer.Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at .