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Of Course This Happened Just Moments After ‘1984’ Starmer Beach Art Appeared

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  October 03, 2025 9:30 AM

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has managed to unite the left and right through a controversial plan to roll out mandatory digital IDs. 

The plan was announced last week and has been met with fierce opposition. More than 2.7 million Brits signed a petition—hosted on the UK Parliament website—to not introduce the IDs, far exceeding the 100,000 signatures the government claimed would lead to a topic being considered for debate. But on Thursday, the government said they’re moving forward anyway “to help tackle illegal migration, make accessing government services easier, and enable wider efficiencies.” 

Artist Fred Brown protested another way, drawing attention to the issue by etching a massive design based on Orwell's "1984" into the sand featuring Starmer's face. 

"The piece is a warning about the potential future implications of adopting digital ID cards in the UK," Brown told a local paper. "Keir Starmer announced the plans, which were not part of the Labour manifesto, so he is the figurehead for the design," the artist continued. "George Orwell's famous novel 1984, paints a vision of a dystopian future. I chose it as a quick and easy to draw reference. I think it went over a lot of people's heads to be honest, but such is art."

The police showed up moments later, proving Brown's point.

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