A petition opposing the UK Government’s controversial plan to introduce mandatory digital identity cards has surged past one million signatures, sparking a major political row over civil liberties. The Labour Government’s proposals were first reported on Thursday, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirming on Friday that ministers intend to press ahead with making digital IDs compulsory for all UK adults.

The backlash was immediate. The petition, titled “Do not introduce Digital ID cards”, was originally launched in June by Maxim Sutcliff and had gathered 288,087 signatures by Thursday evening. Within less than 24 hours, the figure had rocketed to one million — ten times the threshold required for MPs to consider it for debate in Parliament.

The petition warns: “This would be a step towards mass surveillance and digital control. No one should be forced to register with a state-controlled ID system. ID cards were scrapped in 2010, in our view for good reason.”

Criticism has poured in from across the political spectrum, including from within Labour itself. Left-wing MPs Ian Byrne and Richard Burgon have both condemned the scheme, while former party leader Jeremy Corbyn branded it “an affront to our civil liberties.”

The Scottish Government also voiced its opposition, insisting it is against “the introduction of any card that is compulsory to have, compulsory to carry, or that anyone can demand to see, including that of a digital ID.”

With the petition now one of the fastest-growing in recent years, the row is set to intensify as opponents prepare for a fierce fight over what they see as a dangerous expansion of state surveillance powers.