[peanut_merchant]

You do not need any form of photo or biometric id to work in the UK. I have never given anything of the sort, and have worked here for decades.

All that is required is a national insurance number (equivalent of Social Security Number in US).

[zarzavat]

Your employer is supposed to check that you have the right to work. This can be done in a variety of ways, depending on your citizenship, looking at your British/Irish passport is one of the ways.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-work-che...

[monerozcash]

You don't even need a photo ID to open a bank account in the UK