Piers Corbyn took to the labour conference in Liverpool to protest against Labour’s plans for implementing digital ID’s in a bid to tackle illegal migration claiming this could lead to financial control.
Piers Corbyn made an appearance outside Labour’s annual party conference in Liverpool today, claiming the party’s plans for digital ID could become “the end of our freedom”.
The activist and brother of former Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn told the Mirror he was there to “campaign to stop digital ID”, urging delegates to reconsider the impact of a national identity system.
“I’m here today to campaign to stop digital ID, I think the Labour delegates need to understand that this is Starmer’s poll tax,” he told the Mirror.
The new digi-id’s were recently announced by Keir Starmer as ‘BritCards’ for adults in the UK, as a compulsory law in a bid to tackle illegal migration. In a speech on Friday 26, he claimed this would control immigration problems in the UK.
Starmer said, “Let me spell it out. You will not be able to work in the United Kingdom if you do not have a digital ID. It’s as simple as that.”
READ MORE: Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell ‘face police interview’ after Palestine rallyREAD MORE: ‘I asked Lucy Letby if my baby boy was dead and she just laughed in my face’
He also explained it has been too easy for people to slip into the shadow economy and remain here illegally, and the country’s problems won’t be solved if “we don’t take on the root causes.”
However, Piers believes that digital IDs could be tied to financial controls, suggesting that future systems might punish individuals. “It’s the end of our freedom if this happens, it includes programmable money that means if you break some rules or your carbon footprint is broken – they can cut your money off, this is the end of freedom.”
For more stories like this subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Weekly Gulp, for a curated roundup of trending stories, poignant interviews, and viral lifestyle picks from The Mirror’s Audience U35 team delivered straight to your inbox.
However, according to Labour, you’ll only be asked to produce the digi-id when proving your right to work in the UK and will only include a name, date of birth, nationality or residency status and a photo.
However, Piers continued to made a direct plea to the public to continue using cash, and called for action against shops that refuse to accept it. “We’ve got to keep cash,” he said. “Keep cash, go into shops if they don’t take cash, boycott them, or put the money down and walk out.”
Piers confirmed he has joined his brother Jeremy’s political party ‘Your Party’ and added that Jeremy is also “totally opposed to digi ID.”
While Labour have yet to confirm a full digital ID policy, some party figures have spoken publicly about the need to modernise and digitise access to public services. Some MPs have backed calls for a national identity system, however a lot of critics have taken to social media to warn of privacy concerns.
Earlier this year, more than 40 Labour MPs signed a letter calling on the party to back a national digital ID system. The proposal, led by Labour MP Jake Richards, argued that digital identity cards could streamline access to public services and help enforce immigration rules. However, the idea has drawn criticism from both civil liberties groups and members of the public.
Help us improve our content by completing the survey below. We’d love to hear from you!