Britain has reported a 63% increase in arrests this year for illegal work compared to last year, with the majority of the raids targeting beauty salons, car washes and food delivery services, Reuters reported.
Britain’s Labour government has suffered a slump in popularity since coming to power, partly due to public concerns over immigration. The populist Reform Party is continuing to press ahead, and Labour has vowed to reduce the number of illegal immigrants.
Britain’s Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said that illegal work is the reason people enter the country illegally and that this will not happen again. The Immigration Service arrested more than 8,000 illegal immigrants in the 12 months to September 2025, a 63% increase on the previous 12 months. More than 1,050 foreign nationals were deported from the country.
Polls show that immigration is one of the main reasons for voters’ anxiety, right after the cost of living.
The government’s fight against illegal employment is one of the ways it is trying to reduce immigration.
In September, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced another part of the plan – in the future all workers will have to obtain a digital identity card.
Some human rights defenders have expressed concern about the government’s tough stance on immigration, warning that it is increasing intolerance against immigrants and British people of different ethnic backgrounds.
Food delivery service providers, concerned about illegal employment and underage workers, have agreed to introduce stricter controls by 2023 to end unverified account sharing between drivers and couriers. The government reached an agreement with the companies in July to share data that would help identify asylum seekers working illegally.
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