Don't be misled by the reaction on HN. The general concept of a national ID card is not unpopular in the UK:
https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/trackers/support-for-th...
IMO this is a gimmick and probably won't have much effect either for good or bad. I would vote against it given the chance. But there aren't that many British people who feel especially strongly about this.