Cracking down on undocumented labour is not the only advertised benefit of digital ID. It is sold as a way for all citizens to enjoy streamlined access to public services, but that doesn’t require compulsion. A genuinely useful tool would be taken up voluntarily. Dropping the mandatory element improves the policy, keeping its potential utility while addressing a key concern about civil liberties. The volte-face would be less embarrassing for the prime minister if it did not conform to a pattern of equivocations and U-turns.