I thoroughly dislike the idea of a digital ID, but I still believe it would massively improve the Government's ability to detect fraud, avoid multi-agency failures and support better data-led decision making - I could conceivably see these changes leading to significantly more than £1.8 billion in savings over a relatively short time-span.
This does not mean I support it in any shape, but I think it's important to acknowledge that it isn't only a means of better controlling people, but it could offer real tangible efficiency savings.
edit: On no, the downvote brigade is here and they have no time for reasoned debate.
I find it impressive that the same hierarchical structure responsible for failures like Hillsborough, Windrush, and the Post Office scandal (amongst many others) has the hubris to tell us to trust it with this kind of invasive monitoring - it is really quite astonishing.
To the incompetent elites: make sure that your institutions are trustworthy enough before asking for the kind of data that would dramatically magnify the abuses of power, coverups and institutional failures that would be possible.