Asylum seekers who work in Britain illegally should be 'on the next plane home', demands Kemi Badenoch
The Tory leader wants illegal working to become a disqualifier in the asylum process, so that anyone caught is barred from becoming a refugee.
Aslyum seekers are generally not allowed to work in the UK, although they can apply for permission to work if they have been waiting 12 months for a decision.
Concerns have recently been raised that some migrants living in hotels housing asylum seekers are earning money through food delivery apps.
The Home Office recently struck an agreement with Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats to help them identify delivery riders who are not allowed to work in the UK.
The Government will share the locations of asylum hotels as part of the deal.
But Mrs Badenoch and Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, want tougher action to stop illegal working being a 'pull factor' attracting small boats across the Channel.
'If you come here illegally, take advantage of our asylum system, and then break our laws by illegally working, your asylum claim must be rejected and you should be on the next plane home,' Mrs Badenoch said.
The Tory leader also said that illegal working 'rewards illegality, protects perpetrators and mocks hard-working taxpayers'.
'Under my leadership, the Conservatives will never allow Britain to become a soft touch for those who think they can break the rules and profit from it,' she added.
Mr Philp said he had seen riders gathering at a hotel housing asylum seekers, which he described as 'an underground courier cartel operating right under this Government's nose'.
He added: 'Illegal working is a pull factor sold by smugglers as a reward to break in to our country and cross the Channel.
'That is why we are calling for new action: anyone who plays the system should have their status stripped, wages confiscated, and be deported.'
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has previously said that 'illegal working undermines honest business, exploits vulnerable individuals and fuels organised immigration crime'.
She described the Home Office's data-sharing deal as 'decisive action to close loopholes and increase enforcement',
Ms Cooper added it sat alongside 'a 50 per cent increase in raids and arrests for illegal working'.
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