Labour plans to digitalise driving licenses: Brits will be able to use government app as proof of valid ID for buying booze, boarding flights and voting

Driving licenses are set to be digitalised under a new Labour scheme which will allow for peoples phones to become a valid form of ID.

The plans are set to be rolled out by ministers next week, with the digital license available on a purpose-built government app.

This modern form of ID could be accepted for everything from voting, to purchasing alcohol and even domestic air travel. 

Drivers will still be issued with provisional and full photocard driving licenses, with the digitalised versions remaining optional initially.

The Times report that supermarkets could potentially link the digital ID technology to their self-scan checkouts so customers can speed up their transactions by simply scanning their ID and not waiting for a staff member to carry out age checks upon them.

Headed by the Department of Science and Technology, the government is also looking at how they could integrate all state services into the same app, including claiming benefits and paying taxes. A digitalised version of the Veteran Card is another possible feature.

The app is set to be called Gov.UK, with an official launch to the public planned for later this year. 

At present, it is estimated that roughly 50 million Brits hold a full or provisional driving license.

Driving licenses are set to be digitalised under a new Labour scheme which will allow for peoples phones to become a valid form of ID

The new digital driving licenses will be available on a purpose-built government app for smartphone users

The app is not presently planned to form part of phone users Apple or Google wallets, but will rather possess its own in-app wallet feature where users can access their ID.

Despite the push to drag the government into the 2020s, Labour will stop short of introducing mandatory ID cards, a scheme which was first devised under Tony Blair.

Currently, there is no legal obligation for a driver to have his physical driving license when behind the wheel. However, they must produce it within seven days if asked to do so by police.

Motoring experts have welcomed how digital IDs could remove the hassle around producing documents on the road, but also warned against drivers ditching their old plastic versions for the time being.

With many countries still not accepting digitalised ID, travellers will be required to still present their physical license in many instances.

Other countries which have so far adopted the scheme include Australia, Denmark, Iceland and Norway. 

A source familiar with the plans told The Telegraph: This is not about replacing the photocard but giving people the option of having their licence on their phone and allowing them a new way to prove their identity and age.

The photocard, be it a provisional or full licence, is the main form of ID used in the UK and this will be an extension of that.

The new digitalised IDs could allow users to purchase alcohol by simply scanning an app and skipping traditional ID checks

Each EU member state is required to develop at least one form of digitalised ID by 2026, with this new move by government potentially viewed in some quarters as yet another Labour ploy to strengthen ties with Brussels.

Some sceptics will no doubt hold fears over the push to digitalisation, after the Australian move to digital IDs saw a spate of mass hackings and delays.

However, it is understood that the app will come built with robust security measures which mirror those found in many banking apps.

Smartphone features such as biometric scanning and multifactor authentication will also be implemented.

A government spokesman said that technology now makes it possible for digital identities to be more secure than physical ones, but we remain clear that they will not be made mandatory.