U.K. says it will introduce digital ID cards, reviving a contentious idea

LONDON — British citizens and permanent residents will have to produce a mandatory digital identification card in order to get work, the government announced Friday, reviving an idea that has long been controversial in the U.K. The government says the plan will help reduce unauthorized immigration by making it harder for people to work in the underground economy. It says it will also make it simpler for people to access health care, welfare, child care and other public services.