UK to introduce digital driving licences

Accessible via a new government smartphone app called Gov.uk, the licences are expected to launch this year (2025) and could be accepted as a form of ID for buying alcohol, voting, or boarding domestic flights. While physical licences will continue to be issued, ministers believe the voluntary digital option will "drag government into the 2020s," according to The Times newspaper.

A government spokesperson told the BBC: "This government is committed to using technology to make people's lives easier and transform public services. 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."

The digital licences are likely to be introduced as part of a 'wallet' within the new government app. The Times reported: "The virtual licences could be used at supermarket self-checkouts, allowing customers to verify their own age without waiting for a member of staff."

The wallet is understood to be secured similarly to many banking apps and would only permit access by the genuine licence holder It will use features found on many smartphones, such as biometrics and multifactor authentication, like security codes.