Every worker in Britain will require a government-issued digital ID card by the end of this parliament, under plans announced by Keir Starmer this morning. The PM says the new proposal will stop people from “slipping into the shadow economy”, providing a strong deterrence against illegal migration. Tony Blair has reportedly offered to lead an interim government in Gaza once the war is over. The 72-year-old former prime minister, who presented his plans to Donald Trump last month, is said to have the support of senior figures close to the US President – including Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff – to run the enclave for several years before handing over to the Palestinian Authority. The discovery of a million-year-old skull in China has cast doubt on where and when our species first emerged. Analysis suggests the remains belong to the Homo longi branch of human ancestry, meaning humanity was already splitting into different species – including us, Homo sapiens – 400,000 years earlier than previously thought, and in Asia rather than Africa. Ni hao, grandpa.

Is Blair the man to save Gaza?

Almost two decades after stepping down as Britain’s prime minister, Tony Blair has his eyes on leadership again, says The Economist. This time, in Gaza. Under plans reportedly backed by Donald Trump, the 72-year-old would head a body that would become the territory’s “supreme political and legal authority” for five years. Palestinians wouldn’t be encouraged to leave – as they would under Trump’s previous proposal – and the territory would “gradually” be handed over to the Palestinian Authority, which currently runs the West Bank. Gulf states, which also support the plan, would foot the bill. No one doubts Blair’s commitment to ending the conflict: within weeks of it breaking out he had made repeated trips to Jerusalem and tasked his foundation with drafting a post-war plan. But would Israel ever agree to this scheme? And how would Palestinians feel about being ruled by the man who helped George W Bush invade Iraq?

The former Labour leader certainly isn’t the “obvious” choice in the quest for peace in the Middle East, says The Daily Telegraph. But Blair has spent years studying the region’s history and complexities, and is “one of the few international figures to be respected by both sides”. Similar transitional arrangements were successful in post-conflict Kosovo and East Timor. And if the Israelis pull out of the strip without an alternative governance structure in place, “Hamas will likely regain control in short order”. Those who reject this proposal need to ask themselves what other option would not only offer security to Israel but also help Gaza to rebuild. For Blair, this would be a “fitting final chapter” for a statesman who has “long been in search of a meaningful role”. For Gazans, it may well be their “best hope for peace”.