Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to "come clean" over the true cost of the Government's digital ID scheme.
Science Minister Lord Vallance has said the cost of introducing the IDs "will be met within the existing spending review, over the spending review period". But the former Chief Scientific Adviser has refused to reveal how much the scheme is actually expected to cost.
The last time a Labour Government proposed a national ID scheme, in 2004, official estimates put the cost at around £5.5billion over 10 years.
Research by the London School of Economics later suggested the actual cost could have been as high as £19.2billion for the same period.
Sir Tony Blair's Government faced criticism at the time for cost estimates described by leading academics and researchers as "vastly underestimated".
And his successor's current proposals have sparked renewed concern over whether ministers have done their financial homework.
Leading digital ID proponents the Tony Blair Institute and Labour Together say Keir Starmer’s scheme will cost between £400million and £1billion initially, with annual running costs of between £10million and £100million.
Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride said: "Any responsible Government should have a proper grip on the numbers before making this kind of national announcement.
Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to 'come clean' over the true cost of the Government's digital ID scheme
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"But yet again, it appears Labour is writing headlines before doing its homework."
Sir Mel added: “This approach is reckless - and, as ever, it's hardworking taxpayers who'll be left footing the bill."
MPs have also voiced concerns over an apparent lack of transparency from Sir Keir's party, with SNP deputy Westminster chief Pete Wishart accusing the Government of being "coy" about the finances.
He told the Commons last week: “They are reluctant to give us even a ballpark figure.
'Any responsible Government should have a proper grip on the numbers before making this kind of national announcement,' Sir Mel Stride said
| PA“All our constituents should be asking every MP whether we should spend billions of pounds on a scheme that nobody wants and that there is no demand for when a cost-of-living crisis is raging in every single one of our constituencies.”
Mr Wishart's remarks follow almost three million people signing a petition urging the Government not to introduce Digital IDs.
Reform UK’s Richard Tice has vowed to scrap them on the first day in Government if his party is elected.
Mr Tice told GB News: “The vast majority of Brits already carry multiple IDs. There's zero excuse for introducing a digital one.
"Now we learn that this scheme won't just trample the freedoms of honest, law-abiding citizens; it'll disadvantage our most vulnerable and potentially lock them out of society."
The PM had promised to make "everyday life easier for millions" through the scheme.
Richard Tice pointed to how 'the vast majority of Brits already carry multiple IDs' as he vowed there was 'zero excuse for introducing a digital one'
| PAHe has also confirmed the full cost will not be known until the end of the Government’s consultation period.
The Home Affairs Select Committee, chaired by Dame Karen Bradley, has now released all new written evidence submitted on digital IDs to her committee.
But businesses and charities have once again raised concerns, warning the Government of the significant costs involved.
OneID cautioned that the scheme "will incur heavy costs to manage issuance for the whole population".
Written evidence from the Royal National Institute of Blind People also voiced their concerns over the “costs of connection, devices and assistive technology” for more than 360,000 blind and partially sighted individuals in the UK.
The organisation warned that digital IDs could place those people at a "substantial disadvantage".
PICTURED: David Icke leads an anti-digital ID protest in London. Fury at Sir Keir's digital ID scheme has skyrocketed since September | GETTYAlan Miller, the head of the Together Declaration campaign group, said: "This Government is treating the British Public with utter contempt.
"There was no mention of forced digital ID in any Manifesto. Nowhere have we been presented with the costs of this attempt to impose it across society."
He added that civil liberties in Britain were under “assault” - which his group continues to oppose.
Mr Miller said: "We are presented with terms ranging from ‘convenience’ to ‘security’ when this would mean an assault on our liberty, privacy, and freedom."
The Prime Minister has acknowledged that officials are unsure of the total cost of the proposed Digital ID scheme.
Asked what the expense to taxpayers might be, Keir Starmer said: “At the moment there’s no additional cost, because we’re going through the consultation exercise, so that’s all accounted for.
"Until we get to the end of that exercise, we won’t know the full cost.”
William Yarwood of the Taxpayers' Alliance said: "The Government needs to urgently come clean about what they expect the cost of the proposed digital ID system to be.
"As well as posing a potential threat to civil liberties, the lesson of similar government projects is that they've ended up way over budget and significantly delayed.
"Ministers should cancel this project. Such a significant change to the relationship between the state and the individual should at least have the democratic legitimacy of appearing in an election manifesto."