UK Government Launches Nationwide Immigration Enforcement Crackdown on Gig Economy Workers

Strategic Insights -

The UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced a nationwide immigration "enforcement crackdown" to target individuals working illegally in the gig economy, particularly those from asylum seeker backgrounds. The move comes after a shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, claimed to have found evidence of people working illegally for food delivery firms during a visit to an asylum seeker hotel. The Home Office has stated that anyone caught flagrantly abusing the system will face having state support discontinued and may face fines of up to £60,000 per worker.

Key Takeaways:

  • The UK Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, has ordered a nationwide immigration enforcement crackdown to target individuals working illegally in the gig economy.
  • Businesses who illegally employ people will face fines of up to £60,000 per worker, director disqualifications, and potential prison sentences of up to five years.
  • Asylum seekers in the UK are normally barred from work while their claim is being processed, although permission can be applied for after a year of waiting.
  • The Government aims to surge enforcement action against the pull factor of illegal work in the gig economy, on top of returning 30,000 people with no right to be in the UK.
  • Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat have said they will ramp up facial verification and fraud checks over the coming months after conversations with ministers.
  • Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, has claimed to have found evidence of people working illegally for food delivery firms during a visit to an asylum seeker hotel.
  • Home Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that illegal working "undermines honest business and undercuts local wages" and that "the British public will not stand for it and neither will this Government".

Statistics:

  • 20,600 people have made the journey across the English Channel so far in 2025, a 52% increase on the same period in 2024.
  • Asylum seekers normally wait for a year before being allowed to work while their claim is being processed.
  • 30,000 people have been returned to their countries of origin with no right to be in the UK.
  • The Home Office plans to tighten the law through its Plan for Change, aiming to "smash the gangs" of people smugglers facilitating small-boat crossings in the English Channel.

Sources:

  • Telegraph reporters
  • Home Secretary Yvette Cooper
  • Eddy Montgomery, director of enforcement, compliance, and crime at the Home Office
  • Deliveroo
  • Uber Eats
  • Just Eat
  • Chris Philp, shadow home secretary