Migrant arrests for illegal working double under Labour government
Arrests for illegal working in the UK have more than doubled since the Labour government took office, according to new figures.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Arrests of migrants for working illegally in the UK have more than doubled since the Labour government took office, according to new Home Office figures. More than 17,000 arrests have been made since July 2024, an increase of 122% compared with the previous two years.
The figures show that arrests in the first half of this year rose by 20% to almost 4,800, helped by a 31% rise in illegal worker visits from immigration officers. Employers found to be hiring illegal workers face civil penalties totalling £74 million, with fines of up to £60,000 per individual and, in some cases, prison sentences of up to five years.
A government minister said the enforcement action was dealing with the 'pull factors' that attract people to work illegally. 'We know that people are coming here thinking that they can just work illegally in the black market economy,' he said. 'Our enforcement action is taking tough measures to stamp that out.'
Opposition parties have put forward their own plans. Reform UK would introduce a tip line for the public to report suspicious businesses, with a statutory requirement for police to investigate every credible report. The Conservatives say they would heavily restrict social housing for foreign nationals if they win the next general election.
However, arrests were already increasing before Labour took office, and the Migration Observatory has previously said that enforcement action alone is unlikely to deter illegal working, given that detentions and removals have historically been far lower than arrests.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One |
|---|---|
| Arrests for illegal working more than doubled since Labour took office, with over 17,000 arrests since July 2024. | |
| Employers were issued £74 million in civil penalties. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC One West gave a straightforward factual report, focusing on the Home Office figures and the government's enforcement actions. It included responses from opposition parties and a caution from the Migration Observatory, but did not offer its own analysis or commentary.
- “the number of migrants arrested for working illegally in the uk has more than doubled since labor has been in government”
- “the most important thing is dealing with the pull factors because we know that people are coming here thinking that they can just work illegally work in the black market economy and what we've seen today is that our enforcement action is taking tough measures to to stamp that out so that people coming here will know that if you think you can work illegally we'll find you we'll arrest you and you'll be deported”
- “reform will also introduce a tip line for people to report suspicious businesses this hotline will allow members of the public to report suspected illegal working money laundering or organized criminal activity on their local high streets police and integrated high street units will be bound by a statutory requirement to investigate every credible report”
Broadcast Timeline
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