MUMBAI – Sir Keir Starmer has held talks with the boss of India’s controversial digital ID system as he insisted the UK could gain a “significant advantage” by rolling out the ID cards.

The Prime Minister met Nandan Nilekani in Mumbai to hear how the country rolled out its own version of identification card to 1.4bn people in a bid to boost productivity.

The Indian system, Aadhaar, developed by Nilekani, caused consternation when it was initially implemented as reports emerged of leprosy patients being denied pensions, and families in rural areas pushed into starvation as they were unable to access food rations. New Feature

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The Prime Minister’s spokesman said the half-hour meeting was useful “to hear from the Indian experience”.

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