Simon Roche

Once the Reform Tribute Act in Manchester at the moment has finished, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Lib Dems move ahead of them.

A real sense for the way this is heading now. Badenoch to go, Jenrick to replace her. As you will stuggle to get a cigarette paper between his awful views and Reform's, there will be some sort of pact at the next election. Jenrick can then be a JD Vance to Farage's Trump. They need stopping.

As a Lib Dem, I empathise with the Greens on this. Between us we represent a quarter of voters according current polling. Nearly as much as Reform. When you combine our coverage, do the BBC give us the same amount of time? The answer is an emphatic No. The BBC are a right wing propaganda machine.

The good news is that they won't be in power to implement any of it. No one is going to trust a party who had 14 years to do things but only succeeded in getting us into the current mess.

The Lib Dems are closest to that demographic at the moment. Realising we need private businesses to florish to grow the economy, the state intervening where the private sector is failing us and providing a safety net for the less fortunate. A live and let live attitude with no hate.

Surely Reform's number will drop off as time goes by. People will see how badly they are running the councils they are in charge of.

Oh dear. I hope it got resolved in the end. There does need to be a way to get a government issued photo ID for people who don't have one and want one. This would be handy for voting too! I am not sure spending billion on IT systems is needed to crack this or solve the problem with illegal working.

I am not sure who was asking for it. Recently, I just had to submit pdf files of documents (I don't get paper bank statements, Utility bill etc) along side my driving licence. I appeciate the problem, but just offering an physical ID card to those don't already have one could crack this problem.

The man only makes himself look immature by throwing around childish insults. Fortunately, we can trust Ed Davey to be the adult in the room if Labour need Lib Dem help after the next election.

Well I certainly couldn't do the job of a police officer at the moment. My moral compass wouldn't let me. I appreciate they need to earn a living, but surely they signed up to make their communities safer. This sort of action does nothing to achieve this. They should focus their time on real crime.

Let's hope they're this bad at counting the number of runs required when they meet us in the final.

I'll leave it there. It is up to Labour what path they want to go down. For the sake of the country we can't risk Reform gaining power.

I am just paraphasing comments from back benchers Bell Ribiero-Addy and Richard Burgon who are urging Keir Starmer to not try to "out-Reform, Reform". Although Lib Dem, I have no beef against Starmer, he is a good man at heart, and I hope he will steer the party back to their tradional values.

I can assure you I am a rationalist. I just wish, as Ed Davey has said, spend the time and energy elsewhere. Sorting out social care and other problems facing people day to day. Labour, in trying to ape Reform, are losing a lot of votes. As a Lib Dem, I shouldn't complain, neither will the Greens.

I will retract about Euan Blair benefiting. However, the Tony Blair Institute is pro Global Digital ID and someone stands to make a fortune running this. It is interesting that this wasn't in the manifesto, yet now seems very pressing. I am centre/centre-left but always like to follow the money.

You are quite right a simple solution would be a voluntary ID card for those without a passport. The government will waste a lot of time, energy and money on this when simpler solutions would solve the problem they think they have.

Against:
It is a waste of money.
Won't benefit the average person, I already have ID on me.
Won't do want the government claim it will do.
Massive risk will data being stored all in on place.

For?:
It will make someone connected to the Labour party a lot of money.

Yes, but they are all separate. Also, you could argue why the government need a special app if the data already exists amd O cann access easily. Why waste money? It won't benefit me or stop illegal working as the government claim. I guess someone connected to Labout will make money. Euan Blair?

Exactly, diligent employers already get this information. Previously, I have done no more than give my passport to HR. Someone employing people illegally, is not going to stop just because of a government database. It won't achieve the stated aims. Either they have other plans or are very naive.

I hope so and that it gives options on exactly the pieces of information you want to give. I would only want to share the minimum possible. I still have many doubts about this whole thing. Until I am convinced otherwise, it all looks like a Government in trouble flailing around to find something.

I do, but it doesn't have financial data, tax details, my immigration status etc. Very unclear of the upsides of this digital ID to the average person or how much it will cost. I am clear on how the data it contains could be used by government to create a big brother state and to hackers who got in.

A disaster waiting to happen. It would be a hacker's dream to get into a database containing all the personal data of every single person in the UK. You can guarantee it will be farmed out a "government preferred" contractor who will be looking to make a tidy profit by doing it on shoestring.

I don't buy the cutting down on people working illegally either, as you say there are other motives. Some work now with no proof of right and often cash in hand. Not sure this is going to prevent that, as it will be just another new piece of paperwork for them not to have.

That sounds easy. I just have feeling how it is expected to work and how it actually works, will be very different, given the track record on these sorts of things. After all in needs to seamless for maybe 70million users (and going up). A mistake could be costly to an individual or in legal action.

Exactly, I have always wondered why Labour and Conservatives try to be like Reform. People who like Reform will just vote for the real thing, not an imitation. Still, not complaining as it seems good electorally for the more progressive parties who want to engage with the majority.

So I won't need to do a thing then? I can carry on as I am. I can just show my photo driving licence to prove who I am (or passport for right to work), as I currently do, and whoever needs to can look up whatever they want to know on their database to check if they like me or not.

I hope so. I think I would just apply for one of them to keep alongside my driving licence in my wallet.

I am sorry for your loss. Yes, that is an example of where it may help, but I would think that would be an edge case. Why not just offer a physical ID card for anyone who didn't gave any other form of government photo ID? There is no need to go to the cost of creating a new digital world.

I already have at least 2 forms of government ID, a passport (to prove I can work and travel) and a driving license (which I carry with me). I also have my NI number and NHS number (and app). Not sure I need to download yet another app on my phone, apply for another ID. Another thing to maintain.

More red tape from the Government. They want to spend money to make life more difficult for working people. Not spend money to make our lives better.