“No socialist government conducting the entire life and industry of the country could afford to allow free, sharp, or violently-worded expressions of public discontent. They would have to fall back on some form of Gestapo, no doubt very humanely directed in the first instance. And this would nip opinion in the bud; it would stop criticism as it reared its head, and it would gather all the power to the supreme party and the party leaders, rising like stately pinnacles above their vast bureaucracies of civil servants, no longer servants and no longer civil.” — Winston Churchill, 4th June 1945

By Stephen Bailey.

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Keir Starmer’s Labour Party has been in power for just 14 months. That period has been marked by one disaster, scandal, and instance of poor judgment after another. Socialism rules.

The police come knocking on your door if you exercise your right to free speech and say something the woke state doesn’t like. Meanwhile, the economy is sinking deeper into trouble.

Now, to top it all, Labour want to introduce a compulsory digital ID system for all UK adults.

The UK is slowly but surely sinking into becoming an authoritarian, quasi-totalitarian police state under Labour’s rule.

Churchill’s 1945 prediction is coming true.

The Stasi example

The Stasi, officially known as the Ministry for State Security (Ministerium für Staatssicherheit or MfS), was the state security service and secret police of East Germany (the German Democratic Republic) from its founding on 8th February 1950 until its dissolution on 13th January 1990. It served as the “shield and sword” of the ruling Socialist Unity Party of Germany (in reality the Communist Party) and maintained control through pervasive surveillance and repression.

The Stasi was established with Soviet help and modelled on the KGB. It was tasked with both domestic political surveillance and foreign espionage.

In essence, the job of the Stasi was to be a political police force that monitored the population and ensured compliance with the state’s dictates. It didn’t handle criminal matters. Those were primarily dealt with by the Volkspolizei, the national uniformed police force responsible for most civilian law enforcement from 1945 to 1990. The Volkspolizei managed conventional crimes such as theft and murder, while also handling duties like border protection, passport control, and the protection of sensitive areas through specialised departments.

By 1989, the Stasi employed 91,015 full-time officers and maintained a vast network of about 174,000 unofficial informants — roughly one informant for every 6.5 citizens. This network allowed the Stasi to infiltrate nearly every aspect of life in East Germany, including workplaces, schools, political organisations, and even intimate family relationships.

Its methods included torture, intimidation, psychological manipulation, and the use of Zersetzung (“decomposition”), a tactic designed to disrupt individuals’ lives and undermine activism through subtle, long-term harassment. The Stasi was effectively communist East Germany’s version of the Nazi Gestapo, operating with a very similar modus operandi.

The UK is nowhere near this kind of repressive police state, but it is showing worrying tendencies to develop concerning similarities. It isn’t hyperbole to be deeply apprehensive about Labour’s digital ID plans.

Wartime ID vs peacetime liberty

In times of war, ID cards can be a useful tool.

The United Kingdom implemented a compulsory national identity card system during both World War I and World War II, with the most extensive use occurring during the Second World War. The system, established by the National Registration Act 1939, required every civilian, including children, to carry an identity card at all times from 29th September 1939 until the scheme was officially abolished in 1952.

These cards were essential for managing population movements during evacuations, administering food and clothing rationing, and maintaining national security by tracking individuals in case of bombing or separation. They were also used for military conscription, ration book renewals, and the return of evacuated children.

Winston Churchill’s 1951–55 government abolished the cards in 1952, fulfilling a promise to “set the people free” after the war. The decision followed widespread opposition, as the cards were seen as an infringement on British liberties and were increasingly misused by police for trivial matters. The case of Clarence Willcock, who refused to show his card to police in 1950, became a landmark moment in the fight against them.

The abolition of ID cards became a powerful symbol of freedom and resistance to state overreach.

In peacetime, the wartime justifications for ID cards simply don’t apply.

Why Labour’s plan is dangerous

Labour’s ID scheme is just one facet of a wider strategy to control and direct UK society while advancing its cultural-Marxist (woke) agenda.

The idea that ID cards are inherently totalitarian has long been part of political and civil liberties discourse, particularly in the UK and the US. Proposals by Labour to introduce a mandatory digital ID system for all UK adults have reignited the debate.

Opponents argue that such a system fundamentally reverses the relationship between the state and the individual, placing the state in a position of control. Critics also warn that digital ID could enable unprecedented surveillance, with authorities potentially able to restrict access to services such as banking based on compliance with government policies.

This isn’t a theoretical fear. History shows that once implemented, such systems are rarely dismantled and can easily be repurposed for broader surveillance.

Scepticism is also fuelled by the government’s poor record on large-scale IT projects, such as the Horizon scandal, which destroyed public trust in the state’s ability to manage sensitive data.

Labour has offered flimsy justifications for its scheme, such as controlling immigration. But illegal migrants arriving on small boats will simply vanish into the black economy as they do now. Legal migrants already prove their right to work with National Insurance numbers, passports, or driving licences. Digital IDs add nothing but cost and duplication.

Criticism across the board

Labour’s proposed digital ID scheme has sparked significant criticism:

  • It will not stop illegal migration, since the black economy operates outside formal verification systems.
  • Existing checks, such as right-to-work documents, are already in place.
  • Data security concerns are huge, with experts warning that government databases are vulnerable to breaches and misuse.
  • Civil liberties groups such as Liberty and Big Brother Watch have called the plan a “dangerous step towards a surveillance state.”
  • The cost is eye-watering, with Tony Blair’s abandoned ID card scheme having already wasted £4.6bn.
  • Critics say this is political theatre — a way for Labour to look “tough on immigration” — not a practical solution.

Conclusion

Labour’s digital ID scheme is unnecessary, ineffective, costly, and dangerous to civil liberties.

It must be abandoned.

For more from Stephen Bailey please visit: https://ukunionism.wordpress.com/blog-2/

© 2025 Stephen Bailey

This article (Under Labour, the UK is a Stasi, even Gestapo-style police state) was created and published by Conservative Post and is republished here under “Fair Use” with attribution to the author Stephen Bailey