Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed he will push ahead with his plan to introduce Digital ID after 2.6 million Britons signed a petition opposing his proposal.
The Prime Minister, who did not mention Digital ID in his keynote conference speech, addressed concerns about his plan in a sit-down interview with GB News Political Editor Christopher Hope.
Sir Keir told the People's Channel: "I mentioned them and they were a major part of my speech on Friday.
"At the beginning of the summer, I said, I don't want just a lot of policy in this speech.
"I want to elevate it to a point where we're having a proper discussion about who we are as a country, what do we believe in, and how do we make sure that we go forward as one country together, united, and not slip into the division, which I fear will be the choice of the next election."
Sir Keir's plan to introduce digital ID sparked a huge backlash from Britons, with more than 2.6 million signing a petition opposing the proposal.
Almost 3,000 have signed the petition in the Prime Minister's own seat of Holborn & St Pancras, with the number of signatories hitting 5,500 in Nigel Farage's Clacton constituency.
Sir Keir believes his plan will help stop migrants illegally crossing the Channel via small boats by removing the pull factor of easy access to work in the black economy.
The Prime Minister, who did not mention Digital ID in his keynote conference speech, addressed concerns about his plan in a sit-down interview with GB News Political Editor Christopher Hope.
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The Prime Minister even believes Mr Farage's opposition to Digital ID stems from concerns it would solve the migrant crisis.
"He says he would reverse it," Sir Keir told GB News. "He doesn't want to fix the problem, because if the problem is fixed, his reason to exist goes away. So that's why I call it the politics of grievance."
During his conference speech, Sir Keir focused his pointed attacks on Reform UK, pitting Mr Farage's party as declinist and the "enemy of national renewal".
Mr Farage condemned Sir Keir's attacks almost immediately after Sir Keir concluded his speech.
Chris also quizzed Sir Keir on his plan to bring down legal net migration | GB NEWSThe Reform UK leader said: "I don’t normally worry about abuse being thrown at me.
"I’ve got kind of used to it over the course of the last few years, but to accuse countless millions of being racist is a very, very low blow.
“Why? Well, this language will incite and encourage the radical left. I’m thinking of Antifa and other organisations like that.
"It directly threatens the safety of our elected officials and our campaigners, and, frankly, in the wake of the Charlie Kirk murder, I think this is an absolute disgrace."
Christopher Hope probed the PM on his rhetoric, digital ID and Nigel Farage
| GB NEWSResponding to concerns that his language is putting Mr Farage at risk, Sir Keir stressed his rhetoric is not inflaming tensions.
"There is a political fight that has to be had, and it's about the future of our country," the Prime Minister told GB News. "At the next election, the fight will be different to the fight at every other election.
"It won't be Labour versus the Conservatives, it'll be Labour versus Reform. And that means patriotic national renewal with Labour, where we go forward as the whole of our country versus the toxic division and decline of Reform, which I think will tear our country apart.
"I, as Prime Minister, want to serve the whole of my country, my beautiful, tolerant, diverse country that I believe in, whose values I support, and I do not want to see it dragged into division and tearing our country apart."
PICTURED: Britons demonstrate against Labour's controversial digital ID plans
| PASir Keir also used his speech to talk about his pride in the Union Jack, flag of St George, Scottish saltire and Welsh dragon.
When asked about patriotism in the Labour Party, Sir Keir said: "There's nothing wrong with being patriotic. And the left has always been patriotic.
"Look at the Labour Government just after the war, rebuilding our country. A founder member of Nato, which obviously has been the most successful military alliance the world has ever known.
"And we are patriotic today, a patriotic Labour Party because we love our country.
"We love our beautiful, tolerant, diverse country. And that's what drives us to not just fix the problems in our country, but to change our country for the better. I was very glad to see all those flags flying."
There has been a push for more flag-waving at the 2025 Labour conference
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Sir Keir also pointed out that he added the Union Jack to Labour Party membership cards in 2022, in a move which was hailed at the time as a marked change from Jeremy Corbyn's stint as Labour leader.
The Prime Minister concluded his sit-down interview with GB News by dismissing speculation that he might face a challenge to his leadership ahead of the next General Election.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham had been earmarked as a potential challenger after opinion polls suggested he was faring better against Reform UK than Sir Keir.
When asked if he would step down to make way for a candidate better placed to take on Reform UK, the Prime Minister said: "We had an election last July. I led my party to a landslide victory, and I never pretended and never said that we could undo 14 years of failure in 12 short months.
"It was always going to take longer than that. I will lead my party into the next election and I will be judged at that election; on whether living standards have gone up, people feel better off, whether public services are better, particularly the NHS, and whether people feel more safe and secure in their neighborhood and in their country, rightly judged against those tests when it gets to the next election."