The PO said it has secured a new government contract for in-person ID checks in partnership with the Government Digital Service (GDS).

The new identification scheme will be activated in 1,000 Post Office branches, which will provide in-person ID checks for people who need ‘additional support’ to login gov.uk accounts.

Postmasters at the selected branches will receive ‘additional’ commissions for these services, but a PO spokesperson has refused to disclose how much remuneration postmasters will receive, labelling this as “commercially sensitive information”.

“The contract win will generate additional basket spend, revenue and footfall for Post Office branches,” the spokesperson responded.

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The chosen branches have been included in the roll-out because they are “experienced, trained and already equipped to provide identity and application services”, the PO added.

These services include HMPO passport applications, DVLA driving licence renewals, SIA (Security Industry Authority) identity verification and Disclosure & Barring Service identity checks.

The new scheme includes a single account for people to log in, prove and reuse their ID to access central government services. It has been designed for those without smartphones, or those who have a ‘low level of confidence’ in using a digital platform.

Service to generate extra revenue

The face-to-face service is already live with 22 services and is used by more than 2.19 million customers. It will replace hundreds of logins across existing services, and users will have to input information to prove their identity once.

Nick Read, Post Office chief executive, said the new scheme will generate “additional revenue and footfall” for branches that provide a full range of identity checks.

Meanwhile, Elinor Hull, identity services director, said the partnership “reinforces” that PO is the “place for” face-to-face identity verification in the UK.