Maybe because they opted to scrap ID cards for stupid, vague reasons such as "reducing bureaucracy" and "civil liberties". Meanwhile, the de-facto method of ID is a driving license (which is useless for travel), or the national insurance number (similar to a social security number in the US) + other stupid forms of "ID" such as utility bills are used instead ubiquitously. The problem with the NIN (like the SSN) is that it is assigned once per person, cannot be changed, has severe consequences if stolen for identity theft reasons, and, oh yeah, it isn't identification because it has no picture, yet somehow every terrible company or bank needs it. Utility bills are even easier to fake or procure.
The farcical reason to scrap them comes from a government who's police force holds a large percentage of their population's faces - who are innocent - in a huge database and refuses to delete them. So yeah, it's dumb on all levels. Tease away at those muppets.
[0] https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/may/27/theresa-may...
