UK Taxpayers Paying To Advance Foreign Digital ID Systems

In a revelation that raises questions about the prioritization of UK foreign aid, official Freedom of Information documents have exposed how the British government is channeling millions in taxpayer funds to develop digital governance and identity systems overseas, even as domestic digital infrastructure plans remain in early stages.

According to documents obtained by Restore Britain and journalist Lewis Brackpool, the UK has allocated approximately £3.8 million to projects in Bosnia & Herzegovina and Georgia, focusing on building national digital-ID frameworks, e-service portals, and interoperability standards. These initiatives, funded through aid budgets and diplomatic channels, appear to embed advanced digital identity architecture into foreign public services, technology that Whitehall has yet to fully roll out at home.

The largest portion, around £2.7 million, supports Bosnia’s “Digital Transformation in the Public Sector Project (2022–2025).” This effort includes constructing e-service portals, open-data platforms, interoperability frameworks, and modules for digital IDs and e-payments. A standout component is the development of a Public Service Design Toolkit modeled on the UK Government Digital Service (GDS) methods, with Britain explicitly named as a key partner in exporting its digital-government blueprint.

Unsurprisingly, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) serves as the primary implementing partner in the UK-funded digital governance projects in the two nations, acting as the operational conduit for the £3.8 million in taxpayer money channeled through the FCDO.

In Georgia, UNDP oversees the “Public Administration Reform Phase 2” initiative, aligning systems with EU eIDAS standards for trust services, mobile-ID exploration, and citizen data cybersecurity, effectively advancing interoperable digital identity architectures under UN auspices.

Lewis Brackpool’s findings highlight how this outsourcing to UNDP allows the UK to promote global digital ID standards via aid and diplomacy whilst potentially insulating Whitehall from direct involvement. This raises questions about the prioritization of foreign experimentation over domestic infrastructure development.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) blocked release of several related briefings and risk assessments, citing Section 27 of the FOI Act to protect international relations from potential harm. However, the disclosed materials paint a clear picture: UK aid is facilitating the integration of digital-identity systems into overseas governance, potentially serving as a testing ground for similar technologies.

This spending underscores a pattern where the UK is pioneering digital ID infrastructure abroad via partnerships with the likes of the United Nations Development Program, all whilst predating announcements for equivalent domestic systems.

As the government pushes forward with its own digital transformation agenda, these foreign ventures highlight the global reach, and cost, of Britain’s tech diplomacy.

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