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  "path": "/money/digital-id-fears-government-approval-to-use-money",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-05T13:18:26.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Revealed: 75% of Britons wrongly believe they still own their savings after depositing it in the bank",
    "'Shadow state' warning as quangos handed £391billion of public funds, damning report finds",
    "Labour to pay energy quango bosses £1,000 PER DAY in what critics slam as 'scandalous'",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nPlans for digital ID systems in the UK are facing growing scrutiny over how they could affect everyday financial access.\n\nCritics warn that linking identity more closely to banking and payments could give the state greater oversight of how people use their money.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nA financial expert has issued a stark warning that the Government's proposed digital ID system could fundamentally alter Britons' relationship with their own money.\n\nCameron Parry, chief executive of TallyMoney, cautioned that linking personal identity to banking and payments would dramatically increase state oversight of individual financial activity.\n\n\"If your spending is linked to a government-managed ID, it becomes easy for the state to track your purchases, transfers, and withdrawals,\" he said.\n\nMr Parry went further, suggesting the implications extend beyond mere surveillance.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\"This could create a future where using your own money requires implicit government approval,\" he warned.\n\nThe TallyMoney boss also raised concerns about the nature of bank deposits themselves, noting that many people remain unaware that money placed in bank accounts is no longer legally theirs, potentially exposing them to policy changes and regulatory shifts.\n\nThe government's digital ID app will have a modest initial scope before the next general election, according to Darren Jones, the prime minister's chief secretary.\n\nMr Jones acknowledged that early functionality would be relatively constrained despite annual costs matching the Cabinet Office's entire budget from the previous year.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\"There will be some simple things that will come forward by the end of the parliament: maybe tax disc payments; some administrative tasks; the right-to-work check will be available if you want to use it from 2029,\" he said.\n\nMore ambitious features remain a longer-term prospect.\n\n\"But the big prize when you're looking at things like the childcare system or your pension statement or HMRC data that's really a prize for the next parliament, because we're going to have to take some time to get it up and running in the first place,\" Mr Jones explained.\n\nMinisters have drawn inspiration from Estonia, where citizens use a single digital identity for accessing health records, signing documents, claiming benefits and submitting tax payments.\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * **Revealed: 75% of Britons wrongly believe they still own their savings after depositing it in the bank**\n  * **'Shadow state' warning as quangos handed £391billion of public funds, damning report finds**\n  * Labour to pay energy quango bosses £1,000 PER DAY in what critics slam as 'scandalous'\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nPublic sentiment remains firmly divided on the proposals, with polling revealing that four in ten people oppose the scheme compared to just 32 per cent who support it.\n\nThis scepticism has prompted ministers to proceed cautiously with an eight-week public consultation process.\n\nMr Jones said the Government would seek views on both potential uses for digital ID and the concerns people harbour about its implementation.\n\nA randomly selected group of 100 citizens from across the country will form a \"people's panel\" with the opportunity to vote on the scheme once the consultation concludes.\n\nThe minister also pledged that future expansion of the system would require parliamentary approval.\n\n\"I expect to build in a mechanism that means that government and any future government will have to be back to parliament for a check and balance and approval for each service that comes onto the app in the future,\" Mr Jones said.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nMr Parry challenged the Prime Minister's use of Australia as a model for the UK's approach, arguing the comparison misrepresents how identification systems function there.\n\n\"The truth is Australia does not have a centralised digital ID system used across all states and territories,\" he said, describing the country's arrangement as \"a patchwork of systems\" combining government schemes like myGovID with private-sector alternatives.\n\nHe stressed that Australian citizens can still rely on physical documents and face no obligation to consolidate their identity within a single central database.\n\n\"The vision of digital IDs that Starmer is proposing for the UK is very different from the Australian model he referenced,\" Mr Parry argued, warning it could become \"effectively be compulsory for many aspects of life\".\n\nHe pointed to China, Russia and North Korea as examples where digital identification enables state management of citizens' access to services and information.\n\nMr Parry advocates for gold ownership as a means of preserving financial independence from Government systems.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\"For thousands of years, gold has been the best way to store value and protect individual wealth. It is an asset that sits outside of government policy, banking failures and shifting regulations.\n\n\"Holding money in gold gives you an alternative to government-controlledcurrency and systems, meaning tools like digital IDs cannot be used to restrict your access to make payments and live your life freely.\"\n\nHis company, TallyMoney, offers British customers the ability to hold physical gold that remains their legal property, fully insured and never lent out to third parties.\n\nAccount holders receive a debit card enabling them to spend their gold holdings instantly through standard payment methods including contactless transactions and cash machine withdrawals.\n\n\"TallyMoney gives you a way to own gold you can spend, instantly, anywhere through normal payment methods,\" Mr Parry explained.\n\nHe positioned the service as bridging the gap between gold's traditional role as a store of value and the practical usability of everyday currency.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Digital ID fears grow as expert warns Britons would need approval to use their own money"
}