Sir Keir Starmer has said a new digital ID scheme will make it tougher to work in the UK illegally and offer “countless benefits” to citizens.

Plans for a compulsory UK-wide digital ID scheme will be announced officially by Starmer in a speech on Friday, as part of Labour’s push to address illegal immigration.

Separately writing in the Telegraph, the prime minister publicly acknowledged that left-wing parties, including Labour, “shied away” from concerns around illegal immigration.

He added that Labour was being forced to counter the “rise of the populist right”, noting the increasing popularity of Reform UK posed a challenge for both the Conservatives and the left.

His government has been under pressure to tackle the issue, with more than 50,000 migrants arriving on small boats since Labour came to power.

In announcing his plans for the new digital ID scheme, Sir Keir said: “I know working people are worried about the level of illegal migration into this country.

“A secure border and controlled migration are reasonable demands, and this government is listening and delivering.”

He added that “Digital ID is an enormous opportunity for the UK. It will make it tougher to work illegally in this country, making our borders more secure.

“And it will also offer ordinary citizens countless benefits, like being able to prove your identity to access key services swiftly – rather than hunting around for an old utility bill.”

“There is no doubt that for years, left-wing parties, including my own, did shy away from people’s concerns around illegal immigration,” Sir Keir wrote in the Telegraph.

“It has been too easy for people to enter the country, work in the shadow economy and remain illegally.”

There will be no requirement for individuals to carry their ID or be asked to produce it, Downing Street said, though digital ID will be mandatory as a means of proving right to work in the UK.

Employers already have to carry out checks on prospective candidates.

Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately criticised the scheme, she said it is going to “make law-abiding people have to jump through more hoops and employers have more red tape”.

She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that “illegal working in the grey economy will go on”.

The government said the roll-out will make it simpler to apply for services like driving licenses, childcare and welfare – as well as streamlining access to tax records.

It added that the new scheme will “send a clear message that if you come here illegally, you will not be able to work, deterring people from making these dangerous journeys”.

The new digital ID will be held on people’s phones, just as contactless payment cards or the NHS app used by millions.

Downing Street said the new scheme will “take the best aspects” of digital identification systems already in place in other countries.

In Australia, citizens can use their digital identification to access private services such as banking or buying alcohol, while students in Denmark can use their ID to retrieve education records and qualifications.

Digital ID has enabled parents to access child benefits, health records and applications for nursery schemes without having to provide the same information twice.

Meanwhile, the government said that India has saved around US $10 billion annually by reducing fraud and leakages in welfare schemes through their digital identification programme.

Sir Keir wrote that the government “must make and win the case for patriotic national renewal, based on enduring British values”, calling on “fair-minded Britons” to reject Reform’s “toxic” solution.

He also warned against the perils of “poisonous” online debate, and of a “coming struggle, a defining struggle, a violent struggle” for the nation.

Addressing the wave of protests that took place outside UK asylum hotels over the summer, the prime minister said his party would “reject the quick-fix solutions from those who want to divide” and instead focus on “restoring power to local communities”.

The government announced a £5bn funding boost for 339 “overlooked” communities on Thursday, with specific spending to be determined by those who “know their communities best”.

The announcement is part of Labour’s strategy to tackle the electoral threat posed to them by the rising popularity of Reform UK, and will include the £1.5bn pledged to 75 of the “most deprived” areas in the UK earlier this year.

Reform UK won big in local elections earlier this year, taking control of 10 councils as both Labour and the Conservatives suffered their biggest local election defeats.

Sir Keir is expected to defend his party’s approach to immigration in his speech on Friday, detailing the new digital ID scheme while laying blame for illegal immigration on what he has called the “Conservative government’s failure” over 14 years in office.

He will be addressing the Global Progress Action Summit in London on Friday. The summit will bring together progressive leaders, policy experts and strategists from across more than 20 countries.

The Institute for Public Policy Research, who are co-hosting the event, said the focus will be on “national security, growth that works for working people, migration in an age of global movement, and building fair societies based on solidarity and reciprocity”.

Labour’s annual party conference opens in Liverpool this weekend.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has characterised the announcement as a “desperate gimmick” to distract attention from the “leadership manoeuverings” of Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham ahead of Labour’s annual conference next week.

Reform denounced the plan as a “cynical ploy to fool voters that something is being done about illegal immigration”.

The Liberal Democrats, who played a central role in blocking the previous Labour government’s ID cards, have said they “cannot support” a mandatory scheme.