Buried digital ID clause lets police turn your photo into a mugshot for mass facial recognition database

The digitalisation of Government processes will be "more efficient" and "cheaper to run", he said, adding that it must be "useful", "secure" and "for everyone".

But the proposal has been polarising both inside and outside of the Chamber.

Some have questioned whether Digital ID provides a gateway for police to turn ID photos into mugshots.

In the consultation, it states there is a "legal basis for police use of facial recognition," and that the Government is currently "reviewing the legal framework for using facial recognition in law enforcement".

When asked about this during his press conference, Mr Jones aimed to reassure the public that Digital ID will not be working in conjunction with the force.

"The digital ID system that we're building is not a mandatory ID that you need to have available to show to the police or anybody else," he said.

"If you wish to use it, you can, but you don't have to if you don't want to.

"So any concerns the public have about how this interfaces with law enforcement, please be reassured that's not what this is about; this is about making customer services easier to access and use across government."

Earlier in the press conference, the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister claimed the proposed plans could save Britain "tens of billions of pounds".

"There have been estimates already done by Government that says that if we’re able to digitise lots of these customer services, we can save tens and tens of billions of pounds every year."

He suggested this could "free up taxpayers’ money" to spend on "the front line in the NHS" or even "give it back to taxpayers in the years ahead".

But not everyone necessarily agrees. Conservative shadow Cabinet Office minister Mike Wood said it has simply become a "costly vanity project".

And Mr Jones himself was unable to provide accurate costings for the project, telling the Commons: "We do not know the answer".

"I look forward to coming back to the House with updated figures after the consultation," he added on Tuesday.

The Government also dropped plans to make Digital ID mandatory earlier this year, something that Mr Wood highlighted to MPs.

"For months his department has insisted that Digital ID was absolutely essential, and until a few weeks ago it had to be mandatory, even for babies," he said.

"There was a time when this was supposed to be the magic bullet to tackle illegal migration.

"Now, the Cabinet Office seemed to be suggesting it might just help reduce whole time on government call centres."

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