Digital ID 2030: Building a Digital UK, based on a Digital Government ‘backbone’
*Please note that these thought leadership pieces represent the views of the contributing companies and do not necessarily reflect techUK’s own position.
Over the past five years, the UK has made much progress in digital identity across both public and private sectors. And, over the next five years, we can build on these foundations towards a trusted, decentralised system that benefits every citizen and business.
We need a cohesive, outcome-driven national digital ID strategy — one that measures progress, empowers the private sector to deliver beyond government, and enables digital ID as a driver of economic growth and trust by 2030.
The UK’s success with digital identity will rest on a strong public–private partnership: the government providing digital infrastructure for Citizen-to-Government (C2G) and Citizen-to-Business (C2B) services, government-issued digital credentials, and empowering the industry to drive innovation and adoption across the private sector. Between now and 2030, this partnership must turn shared ambition into action — creating a privacy-first, citizen-centred digital ecosystem that underpins national trust and prosperity.
When done right, digital identity will not be seen as surveillance or control — it will stand as the cornerstone of a safer, more efficient, and privacy-respecting digital UK, empowering citizens, enabling businesses to thrive, and helping government deliver smarter, more connected public services. Digital ID is a foundational layer in the ‘UK stack’ of digital services that will enable identity, payments and smart data sharing to grow our digital economy whilst keeping it safe.
How Far We’ve Come: Progress Worth Building On
The fact that the UK doesn’t have a state-issued ID card is an opportunity to design a model that puts individuals at the centre — empowering people to control how, when, and with whom they share their data.
Today, the UK’s digital identity landscape looks dramatically different from where it stood in 2020. In just a few years, we’ve seen real and measurable achievements:
One Login now serves over 11 million users across 82 live services, enhancing access to government platforms.
The creation of DSIT and OfDIA has established clear governance and accountability for digital identity.
The Data Use and Access Act 2025 introduced a robust legal framework for digital ID and smart data.
The DIATF (Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework) is accredited by UKAS and supported by independent auditors.
A growing market of 40+ certified Digital Verification Service (DVS) providers — including OneID® — now powers secure verification for millions every day.
Digital identity is already in use for Right to Work and Rent checks, DBS checks, KYC onboarding, account takeover protection, and online safety age verification.
Next on the horizon: DIATF v1, a government-issued trust mark for certified providers, a legal information gateway for citizen-controlled data sharing, and a government digital wallet to store and use credentials securely.
We’ve come a long way since 2020 — but the challenge now is to turn this momentum into a long-term, measurable strategy.
Develop a Digital ID Strategy That Underpins National Priorities
Despite this progress, the UK still needs a clear digital ID strategy that aligns with broader national priorities and our other strategies — from data and industrial growth to security and fraud prevention.
A decentralised ID model — one where multiple trusted actors from both government and the private sector work together — is the best fit for the UK’s specific environment. A strategy enables outcomes such as adoption targets, economic growth, fraud reduction, interoperability, and operational efficiency to be defined and progress measured over time.
A digital ID strategy would ensure that digital ID becomes a foundation for innovation and growth, and fraud reduction.
Digital ID should be a key element in the UK’s Counter-Fraud Strategy. Today, once fraud has been committed, there is very little that can be done to undo the damage. Monetary compensation may be possible, but it cannot repair the trauma of being defrauded.
Digital ID verification should shift from being primarily about fraud detection to becoming a tool for fraud prevention — coming into play before the money exchanges hands.
A proactive model focuses on three tiers:
Upstream prevention — verifying real identities before fraud occurs.
Midstream monitoring — detecting anomalies in real time.
Downstream accountability — ensuring clear liability after incidents.
Embedding verification early in the process prevents fraud before it starts, protecting citizens and saving businesses and government millions in losses each year.
The UK’s digital ID strategy should include clear plans for how public and private sectors can work together to scale and amplify the impact of digital ID for the UK.
This includes clarity on ‘what the government should do’:
Provide efficient C2G and Business-to-Government (B2G) access to government services
Build a government ‘digital backbone’ for API and data interoperability
Enable an API-first ‘information gateway’ for citizens to share their data
Issue citizens with government digital credentials
Strengthen OfDIA, evolve the DIATF and add use cases for DVS services by setting the ‘rules of the road’
And ‘what the private sector should do’:
Gain DIATF certification to ensure data safety and trustworthiness of services
Expand and innovate over the government-provided layer, into all private sector use cases, e.g. Peer-to-Peer (P2P)/ Customer-to-Customer (C2C), B2C, B2B.
Help customers manage digital credentials (government-issued and private sector) securely via wallets and other services.
By 2030, the UK should aim for 80% adoption of digital IDs and wallets, putting us alongside leading digital nations across Europe.
Provide Efficient C2G and B2G Access to Government Services
The government’s One Login service now has 11 million users who can access 82 services. By 2027, the government’s aim is that One Login is the only method for accessing services, simplifying the current complex landscape of other methods down to one.
Build the Government’s Digital Backbone
The government’s Blueprint for Modern Digital Government recognises the need for joined-up government infrastructure that reduces bureaucracy and improves user experience. The government should focus on building the digital backbone that supports a thriving digital ecosystem.
This backbone is the ‘backend’ of government services that reduces friction — making it possible to reuse verified data securely across government. It aligns with the Blueprint’s “once only” rule, where individuals don’t have to repeatedly share the same information with different departments — once verified, their data can be securely reused across government services, saving time and improving accuracy.
APIs and data sharing functions (the layers above the backbone) then empower citizens to share their government-held data, via certified DVS providers, with private sector to access private sector services and create new value.
Empower Citizens Through an Information Gateway for Secure Data Sharing
The most important thing about identity is the individual — it belongs to them — so systems designed to verify and access it should put them in control, not the other way around. Through the information gateway, citizens will be able to consent to share government-held data with certified providers — securely, privately, and on their terms.
Enable the ‘information gateway’ from the Data Act by providing APIs that enable secure data exchange within and out of government — and move beyond an ‘app-first’ (or ‘app only’) approach to ‘API-first’.
This model prioritises privacy by design:
Individuals decide how, where, and with whom their data is shared.
Only the minimum attributes required are disclosed (for example, “over 18” instead of a full date of birth).
Data is shared via certified parties rather than to any private sector actor, reducing risk of sharing with bad actors.
This approach not only strengthens trust but also enables new services — from simplified onboarding to secure reuse of verified data across sectors. It’s a practical way to make identity both private and powerful.
Continue government-issued digital credentials
Government-issued ID should remain one of the cornerstone forms of a person’s identification — it is how it is accessed and exchanged that should change. Traditional document forms of ID, however, do not deliver the digital ease that citizens now expect. By turning them into verified digital credentials — issued by government into the GOV.UK Wallet — enables the credentials to be shared through certified DVS providers into other businesses (via the ‘orchestrator’ model), or replicated into DVS wallets (‘holder service derived credentials’) that can then add more utility, such as payments and loyalty.
This approach minimises fraud, saves time, and reduces friction over document-based ID.
Enhance the Strength of OfDIA, DIATF, and the DVS Market
The UK’s trust framework is nearing version one, but it needs continued momentum. Strengthening OfDIA’s authority, evolving the DIATF, and providing clarity and legislation for the DVS market to cover more use cases — such as KYC/AML — will accelerate adoption, reinforce confidence and ensure the sustainability of the DIATF market-driven approach.Consistency and clarity are key. Clear standards, recognised certification, and the government-backed trust mark will help businesses and consumers alike understand who they can rely on — creating a thriving, interoperable marketplace.
Strengthen Public–Private Partnership
Digital identity will only succeed through a true public–private partnership. Government defines the rules; industry brings innovation and user experience.
Regular engagement between policymakers, digital ID providers, and regulators ensures frameworks remain relevant and responsive. This partnership model has already proven effective through a wide network of certified identity service providers in the UK, delivering compliant verification solutions across multiple sectors.
OneID®, for example, can be used by 95% of UK adults via their banking apps, mobile numbers, or government-issued documents to verify their identity for Right to Work, Right to Rent, DBS and KYC checks, age verification for compliance with the Online Safety Act, and purchasing age-restricted goods, among other use cases.
A strong, collaborative model allows innovation to flourish within trusted boundaries — creating a market that balances privacy, security, and user convenience.
Vision 2030
The UK should aim for digital identity to go beyond building a modern digital government — it’s about shaping a Modern Digital UK.
A citizen-centred, privacy-respecting digital ID system that’s as assured as a passport — but far more efficient online. It streamlines everything from financial services to online retail, while enabling entirely new business models built on verified trust.
By simplifying interactions, cutting fraud costs, and fostering inclusion, digital identity can directly contribute to economic productivity and innovation — building the foundations of a high-trust, high-growth digital economy.
If we can combine a national digital ID strategy, a strong government digital backbone, and industry-led innovation, digital identity can become the foundation of a trusted, efficient, and inclusive digital UK.
We have the frameworks, the technology, and the momentum. What we need now is a shared vision — one that makes digital identity work for everyone by 2030.
Digital Identity programme activities
Digital identities will provide a gateway for citizens and SMEs into the digital economy. techUK members demonstrate the benefits of digital identity to emerging markets, raise their profile as thought leaders, influence policy outcomes, and strengthen their relationships with potential clients and decision-makers. Visit the programme page here.
techUK's Digital ID Summit 2025
Join us on 13 October 2025 for techUK’s Digital ID Summit — a key event bringing together industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators to shape the future of digital identity in the UK. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of the conversation driving trust, security, and innovation.
Our members develop strong networks, build meaningful partnerships and grow their businesses as we all work together to create a thriving environment where industry, government and stakeholders come together to realise the positive outcomes tech can deliver.
Sue leads techUK's Technology and Innovation work.
This includes work programmes on cloud, data protection, data analytics, AI, digital ethics, Digital Identity and Internet of Things as well as emerging and transformative technologies and innovation policy.
In 2025, Sue was honoured with an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the Technology Industry in the New Year Honours List.
She has been recognised as one of the most influential people in UK tech by Computer Weekly's UKtech50 Longlist and in 2021 was inducted into the Computer Weekly Most Influential Women in UK Tech Hall of Fame.
A key influencer in driving forward the data agenda in the UK, Sue was co-chair of the UK government's National Data Strategy Forum until July 2024. As well as being recognised in the UK's Big Data 100 and the Global Top 100 Data Visionaries for 2020 Sue has also been shortlisted for the Milton Keynes Women Leaders Awards and was a judge for the Loebner Prize in AI. In addition to being a regular industry speaker on issues including AI ethics, data protection and cyber security, Sue was recently a judge for the UK Tech 50 and is a regular judge of the annual UK Cloud Awards.
Prior to joining techUK in January 2015 Sue was responsible for Symantec's Government Relations in the UK and Ireland. She has spoken at events including the UK-China Internet Forum in Beijing, UN IGF and European RSA on issues ranging from data usage and privacy, cloud computing and online child safety. Before joining Symantec, Sue was senior policy advisor at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Sue has an BA degree on History and American Studies from Leeds University and a Masters Degree on International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Birmingham. Sue is a keen sportswoman and in 2016 achieved a lifelong ambition to swim the English Channel.
Associate Director - Technology and Innovation, techUK
Laura Foster
Associate Director - Technology and Innovation, techUK
Laura is techUK’s Associate Director for Technology and Innovation.
Laura advocates for better emerging technology policy in the UK, including quantum, future of compute technologies, semiconductors, digital ID and more. Working alongside techUK members and UK Government she champions long-term, cohesive, and sustainable investment that will ensure the UK can commercialise future science and technology research. Laura leads a high-performing team at techUK, as well as publishing several reports on these topics herself, and being a regular speaker at events.
Before joining techUK, Laura worked internationally as a conference researcher and producer exploring adoption of emerging technologies. This included being part of the team at London Tech Week.
Laura has a degree in History (BA Hons) from Durham University and is a Cambridge Policy Fellow. Outside of work she loves reading, writing and supporting rugby team St. Helens, where she is from.
Elis joined techUK in December 2023 as a Programme Manager for Tech and Innovation, focusing on Semiconductors and Digital ID.
He previously worked at an advocacy group for tech startups, with a regional focus on Wales. This involved policy research on innovation, skills and access to finance.
Elis has a Degree in History, and a Masters in Politics and International Relations from the University of Winchester, with a focus on the digitalisation and gamification of armed conflicts.
