Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced plans for a mandatory digital ID system, a move he says will crack down on illegal working.
The so-called "Brit card" would enable digital checks on people's right to live and work in the country.
Keir Starmer believes this could help tackle illegal working, saying the digital ID is an "enormous opportunity" to "make our borders more secure".
The practicalities of the scheme will be subject to a consultation, which will also look at how to make it work for those without a smartphone or passport, the BBC reports.
Plans for a digital ID scheme did not feature in Labour's election manifesto last year, and the government has previously rejected a proposal for digital ID suggested by former Labour Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair.
The prime minister is expected to outline the plans later this morning.
Writing in The Telegraph, Sir Keir Starmer admitted that Labour has previously got it wrong on migration.
He wrote: “There is no doubt that for years Left-wing parties, including my own, did shy away from people’s concerns around illegal immigration. It has been too easy for people to enter the country, work in the shadow economy and remain illegally.
“We must be absolutely clear that tackling every aspect of the problem of illegal immigration is essential.”