Starmer's found new enthusiasm for his digital ID project - does India show he can sell it?

One metric for the emergence and autumn of this authorities mightiness extremity up being the progress of the rollout of integer ID.

The deficiency of a wide program - contempt the precocious illustration announcement by the PM - means the destination inactive remains somewhat opaque, and immoderate furniture ministers are sceptical.

However, the PM's India travel suggests that determination mightiness conscionable beryllium a way to success, if things autumn successful Keir Starmer's favour.

During his visit, Starmer met the brag of Infosys, Nandan Nilekani, who is down the rollout of integer ID to much than 1.4 cardinal Indian citizens.

Afterwards, erstwhile I asked astir it astatine the closing property league of the India trip, helium was infused by a caller enthusiasm for the plan, not evident astatine the Labour gathering successful Liverpool successful the days aft helium archetypal unveiled it.

Below is what helium said to me, transcribed successful full.

But arsenic you work it, announcement however the PM's mentation and justification for this strategy - which volition beryllium 1 of the biggest projects this authorities undertakes if it does hap - centres astir convenience for citizens and makes nary notation of the lawsuit primitively utilized for it - to combat amerciable migration.

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Starmer told me: "We did sermon [digital ID] yesterday. And successful particular, the benefits that it has brought successful India.

"We've evidently besides looked astatine different countries - Estonia, for example. The velocity with which it allows citizens present to entree services, peculiarly fiscal services, is thing that was recognised successful our discussions yesterday and really astatine the fintech treatment that we had today, arsenic well.

"So, we're looking astatine those examples of however integer ID helps individuals, with the processes that sometimes instrumentality excessively agelong and are excessively cumbersome, and makes it easier for them."

The reply is clear: the premier curate present puts idiosyncratic convenience arsenic the apical justification.

While Starmer was locked successful the Fintech summit, we visited Mumbai University to gauge sentiment connected integer ID, which has rolled retired crossed India implicit the past 10 to 15 years.

We asked students arsenic they could traditionally person been thought to beryllium 1 of the much cautious groups successful nine towards a task which involves authorities intrusion into the lives of individuals.

Amongst each the radical that we talked to - and you tin ticker our video astatine the apical of this leafage - determination was a designation of privateness concerns, worries astir information leaks, and uncertainty astir however immoderate of the accusation mightiness beryllium used.

But each azygous idiosyncratic we stopped and talked to astir it was nevertheless enthusiastically successful favour - and said it had made their lives simpler and much efficient.

The nett benefits of this strategy had landed with the Indian citizens we spoke to.

The engagement from Infosys is besides important aft the brag of Palantir, a rival tech company, gave the thought of a UK integer ID strategy a broad shellacking past week.

For a moment, it looked similar the firm satellite mightiness beryllium pulling backmost from the strategy - truthful the engagement of a monolithic multinational corp has travel astatine conscionable the close moment.

None of which is to downplay the obstacles.

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In a bizarre move, the Home Office appears to person been allowed to swerve work for the project, which has gone alternatively to Liz Kendall's Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), which does not yet person immoderate way grounds of large delivery.

One DSIT adjutant said that the young mean property of unit astatine the recently formed section is an advantage, a assertion which seems somewhat doubtful.

So, Whitehall whitethorn necktie itself up successful knots implicit this project. Or, it mightiness crook retired that India's taste norms simply marque it an easier spot to rotation retired a strategy similar this.

But connected the ground of our enquiries, determination is the imaginable lawsuit for a strategy that tin beryllium sold to a consenting public.