Labour 'removes 13,500 migrants from Britain' - as Home Sec promises 'step change' on illegal working
15 December 2024, 00:02
Labour says more than 13,500 migrants have been deported from Britain since their election win - as Home Secretary Yvette Cooper promises a 'step change' in preventing illegal working.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
The party pledged during its general election campaign that it would deport more people without the right to stay in their first six months than any other half-year period since 2018.
The Home Office on Sunday said almost 13,500 migrants had been removed since the country went to the polls on July 4, which is the highest rate since 2019.
Read More: EU to demand access to UK fishing waters as Starmer seeks to reset Brexit relationship
The announcement comes amid a continued rise in Channel crossings, with more than 21,000 people having arrived in the UK by small boat alone over the same timeframe.
It claimed the Government was "on track" to deliver on its returns pledge, which would need to be met by early January.
Some 21,306 people have come to the UK via small boat since July 5, with 609 arrivals on Thursday making it the busiest December day for crossings on record.
Another 298 migrants made the journey on Friday, according to provisional Government figures.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who visited Rome on Saturday for talks with her Italian counterpart on people-smuggling, insisted the Labour administration had "intensified" border security measures since coming to office.
She pledged a crackdown on "exploitative" illegal working to address "the promise of illegal jobs that are used by criminal smuggling gangs to sell spaces in small boats".
New technology including body-worn cameras and fingerprint kits will be rolled out next year to more than 1,200 immigration enforcement officers in a bid to strengthen evidence that can be collected in raids, the Government said.
The Home Office said that a new "upstream communications campaign" aimed at debunking lies about job prospects in the UK told by people-smuggling gangs to encourage small boat crossings has also been launched.
It will include warnings to potential migrants about the exploitative practices of employers and the inhumane living conditions faced by workers, based on real testimonies, the department said.
Ms Cooper said: "Illegal working is a blight on our economy. It is deeply exploitative and undercuts those employers who do the right thing and play by the rules.
"Since the election, we have intensified our efforts to crackdown on exploitation and illegal working - the number of operations and arrests are up, and we are on track to meet our target of increasing removals to the highest level for five years.
"I am boosting the capabilities of our immigration enforcement officers to make sure they have the tools they need to further crack down on illegal working and shine a light on the hidden economy and false promises that criminal smuggling gangs are using to encourage people to cross the Channel in small boats.
"If you employ people illegally, you will face consequences. The rules must be respected and enforced."
Home Office data published last month showed the number of enforced returns had jumped to the highest level in nearly six years.
Some 2,061 took place in July to September 2024, up 12% on the previous quarter and an increase of 29% on the same period in 2023.
It is the highest quarterly total since October to December 2018 - when the figure was 2,087, according to Home Office data published on Thursday.
The latest figure covers the period that saw Labour win the general election on July 4.
Before the announcement, Ms Cooper met her counterpart in Rome, Matteo Piandetosi, at the end of a week of diplomacy on border control.
She was also expected to attend the Atreju festival, an annual event organised by Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party, speaking alongside Mr Piandetosi on tackling migration across Europe.
Previous speakers at the event have included former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon, Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban and, in 2023, Rishi Sunak.
Ms Cooper's trip to Rome comes as the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats this year exceeded 34,500, a 19% increase on the same point in 2023.
Some 609 people made the journey on Thursday, making it the busiest December day for crossings on record. Another 298 migrants made the journey on Friday, according to provisional Government figures.
