A former head of Britain's intelligence service has slammed Sir Keir Starmer for proposing Digital IDs, warning the scheme will “immediately become a target for the country's enemies".
Sir Richard Dearlove, who led MI6 from 1999 to 2004, said emerging quantum technologies could undermine the Government's security systems designed to protect electronic identification schemes.
His comments come in the midst of growing warnings from security experts, who feel digital IDs pose a risk to national security. Some have identified China as the “biggest threat", raising concerns about the country’s “ability to abuse the data they steal".
Sir Richard Dearlove told GB News: “When you aggregate data into one massive base, of course it immediately becomes a target for the country’s enemies. You therefore must be sure that the citadel is impregnable. However, secure you believe the system to be, quantum computing when it arrives could render redundant your defenses.”
Asked whether the Prime Minister should change course, Sir Richard responded: “Better not to create the target and the temptation in my view.”
The UK previously experienced significant hacking and data breaches, with experts warning a digital ID scheme could increase the risk of cyber-attacks.
Official records show Chinese state‑affiliated actors accessed Electoral Commission systems, potentially exposing voter data.
In a previous cyber‑attack, NHS England said Synnovis, a pathology company serving several London trusts, was targeted by hackers with a ransomware attack, disrupting blood test results and postponing outpatient appointments
Protesters congregated in Westminster to demonstrate against Digital IDs
| PAIn response, former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan-Smith MP said: “To date, numerous cyber-attacks on Government and commercial institutions have taken place where data has been stolen, as well as the attack shutting down key elements of the systems. This has become a regular occurrence, and you only must look at Jaguar Land Rover to see the enormous consequences of those attacks. Given all of that, the Government's plan to introduce Digital IDs is fraught with risk. The very idea that the Government will be able to assure the British public that their data will be sufficiently protected against such cyber-attacks is risible.”
The MP for Chingford and Woodford Green fumed: “Such a huge collection of personal data will create a massive target for hackers to penetrate and steal. There is no argument in favour of digital IDs that outweighs the enormous National Security risk that will be posed to the British public's personal data."
In March, Estonia’s Smart‑ID system was disrupted, according to their national information authority (RIA), due to phishing and other cyber‑threats targeting its digital infrastructure, which included two ransomware attacks.
During the first three months of 2025 Estonia suffered more than 2,500 incidents that impacted on the confidentiality, integrity or availability of data in the country.
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In Australia, citizens face ongoing digital threats, with authorities revealing more than 4,500 scams targeted the country’s MyGov platform in 2023. Government officials also reported losses to scams amounted to over $3.1billion.
Former British military intelligence officer, Philip Ingram MBE, said: “The biggest threat is from China who are hoovering up all of the data they can collect and are rapidly developing quantum computing which when combined with AI analysis tools make their ability to abuse the data they steal. I fear (Digital ID) is being done piecemeal and different solutions being cobbled together - it’s the interfaces between different systems that are the weakest points.”
Ingram added: “I don’t have confidence in the depth of thinking and understanding that needs to be behind digital ID.”
Labour's digital ID scheme would function within the Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework, controlled by the Office for Digital Identities and Attributes (OFDIA).
This body sets the standard for creating, checking and using digital IDs over public and private sectors, protecting security and privacy.
Brit Cards could be used for a variety of public services, including government transactions, banking, online purchases, and travel, all governed by a corresponding set of rules.
Speaking to the People's Channel, Alan Miller, head of the Together Declaration campaign group, said: “There is no doubt that the rush to impose Digital ID on British Directors and workers poses a huge and serious threat to National Security. From the catastrophic Afghan data breach that endangered the lives of service personnel as well as costing the taxpayer up to £7billion, to the Electoral Commission having 40m voter records compromised, the public has every reason not to trust the state with our sensitive data.”
A Cabinet Office spokesman said: "We’ve all been shopping and banking online for years. Its time public services are caught up. We are currently developing proposals, exploring how we can learn from other countries with successful schemes that make using government services much easier. We will be consulting on the proposals in the new year, including by working with people with a range of know-how - from banks and the UK’s leading security experts to privacy groups and the wider public." GB News has approached the Chinese embassy for comment.
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