The Government Digital Service has closed the GOV.UK Verify service for identity authentication for online public services.
It has updated the guidance document with an announcement on the closure, saying it is no longer possible to use the service to create a new identity account or use an existing account to sign in to services.
The move – which has come in line with indications from the Cabinet Office a year ago – marks a progression of plans to replace Verify with the One Login service, a beta version of which went into use in August of last year and is now used by an unspecified number of government departments.
The development of Verify began in the early 2010s as an alternative to the abandoned plan to use a national identity card to access public services. It was launched in 2016 but take-up by government bodies has been disappointing and the number of organisations involved as identity providers gradually shrunk from nine to two.
It was initially earmarked for closure in 2021 but the period was extended to give GDS more time to develop the replacement.
