People’s Panel on Digital ID
This page explains the People’s Panel on Digital ID.
Purpose
The People’s Panel on Digital ID will bring together a diverse group of people, selected independently to be broadly representative of the UK population, to learn about the proposals, ask questions of government policy officials, take part in in-depth debates, consider different perspectives and trade-offs and work together to develop shared recommendations for the government. The People’s Panel will form part of the Government’s consultation on digital ID. You can respond to the consultation until the 5 May.
Participants
We will bring together up to 120 members of the public to take part in the People’s Panel. These members will be broadly representative of the population of the UK, against a range of demographic and attitudinal criteria.
Participants will be recruited through a process called sortition. This is a random postcode lottery. It is a way of selecting individuals to take part in deliberative processes, where everyone is given an equal chance to be invited. No individual can buy their way in or simply turn up at the event.
Our partners at the Sortition Foundation manage this process on our behalf. Sortition Foundation will mail out to thousands of households, at random, to invite members of the public to take part. Once expressions of interest from volunteers have been received, a set of criteria is used to determine a broadly representative sample of the UK population.
We recognise that some people won’t be able to join the People’s Panel or wouldn’t feel comfortable discussing their lived experience in that environment. For this reason, we are also running a programme of inclusive engagement with seldom heard voices ahead of the People’s Panel workshops as part of the 8-week open engagement phase of the consultation. If you are interested in submitting a response to the consultation on digital ID, you can do so on the consultation page before 5 May 2026.
Workshops
The People’s Panel will come together for seven workshops, both online and in person.
During these workshops, participants will be provided with balanced information and expert insights to give a deeper understanding of the issues at hand. Participants will hear different perspectives about digital ID, and will hear a range of views shared during the open engagement phase.
Participants will work together to weigh trade-offs, explore where common ground can be found and develop shared recommendations for government.
These recommendations alongside other views shared during the consultation will help shape the next steps.
Oversight Group
An Oversight Group has been established to advise on the design and delivery of the People’s Panel, ensuring it provides an authentic and meaningful opportunity for the public to deliberate key policy options and influence decision making.
This Group brings together esteemed experts in digital, data and technology, civil liberties, inclusion and deliberative democracy as well as members of parliament and representatives from the House of Lords.
The Oversight Group will be engaged closely during the design of the deliberative workshops. This will include providing input into shaping the areas of focus for the workshops and related content. In particular, the Group will help to ensure that the material is comprehensive, balanced, and accessible to a lay audience and that the engagement process is robust, rigorous and transparent.