A driving licence is a permission, granted by the state, to operate a registered vehicle on the public road. The lawful position is that a living man or woman has the right to travel by any means they choose, including by motor conveyance, on the public way. That right exists in common law and predates the entire statutory licensing scheme by centuries.
What the licence does is convert your right to travel into a privilege the state has granted, and which the state can therefore restrict, suspend or revoke. By applying for and accepting a licence, you have, in lawful terms, accepted the offer of a contract under which your travel is now licensed rather than free.
The two layers
Layer one is the lawful question: do I, as a living man, need permission from a corporation to move from one place to another in my own conveyance on a way held in common for public passage? The classical answer is no. Layer two is the practical question: what happens if I am stopped by a constable while not holding a current licence? The practical answer is that you will, in most cases, be reported and brought before a magistrates' court, which will operate under statute and convict accordingly.
What you can do
The lighter move is to keep the licence current but to understand its lawful nature. You hold it as a working document while you build your wider position. The heavier move is to surrender the licence with a notice stating that you do not consent to the licensing scheme as a living being, that you reserve your right to travel under common law, and that any use of a conveyance from that point is private travel and not licensed driving. The heavier move is honest but exposes you to ongoing risk every time you take to the road.
There is no clean middle option. Anyone who tells you that you can keep the licence and still claim never to have consented is selling you a contradiction. You either hold the permission or you do not.
Hold the line
This is one of the lessons where tactical caution matters most. Choose your level deliberately. If you are still in regular employment that requires driving, if you have school runs to do, if your livelihood depends on the road, the heavier move is not the right move for this season. Hold the lawful understanding, keep the licence, and work on the rest of your independence first. The lawful position will still be there when you are in a stronger place to test it.