Home Office to share asylum hotel locations with Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats
But concerns have been raised that some migrants in the hotels have been earning money on the apps.Last month, the food delivery firms committed to tightening checks on riders' identities and whether they had a right to work in the UK. The Home Office said this action had led to thousands of people being removed from the platforms, and it hoped the new measures would go further. "Illegal working undermines honest business, exploits vulnerable individuals and fuels organised immigration crime," said Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. "By enhancing our data sharing with delivery companies, we are taking decisive action to close loopholes and increase enforcement."Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats said they were committed to the plan and would be stepping up enforcement. It comes as the government on Wednesday unveiled wide-ranging sanctions aimed at preventing illegal migration to the UK. The government released a list of 25 individuals and entities being targeted, including a small boat supplier in Asia and gang leaders based in the Balkans and North Africa.The list also included people accused of sourcing fake passports, middlemen facilitating illicit payments and gang members involved in people-smuggling via lorries and small boats.Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the move was a "landmark moment"."My message to the gangs who callously risk vulnerable lives for profit is this: we know who you are, and we will work with our partners around the world to hold you to account," Lammy said in a statement. However, some experts warned the impact was likely to be limited. Dr Madeleine Sumption, director of Oxford University's Migration Observatory, she would be "surprised" if the sanctions were the "game changer" to end small boat crossings."There are so many people involved in the industry that targeting people individually is probably only going to have an impact around the margins," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
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Daily Mail
5 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
All the flashpoints of Trump's meeting with Starmer: From awkwardly slating the PM's 'pal' Sadiq Khan, and blasting UK's 'ugly' wind farms to claiming he 'never had the privilege' of visiting Jeffrey Epstein's infamous island
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He has long been outspoken about his dislike of wind power and strongly opposed an offshore development which is visible from his Aberdeenshire golf course. He said: 'Wind is the most expensive form of energy and it destroys the beauty of your fields, your plains and your waterways. Wind needs massive subsidy, and you are paying in Scotland and in the UK, and all over the place, massive subsidies to have these ugly monsters all over the place.' He urged the UK to exploit North Sea oil and gas. The Royals The President heaped praise on the Royal Family as 'really great people'. Mr Trump, who is known to admire the monarchy, said the UK is 'very lucky' to have the royals, before adding: 'You could have people that weren't great people.' Despite Mr Trump's 'drill, baby, drill' slogan aimed at ramping up fossil fuel extraction, he applauded the King's environmentalism. 'King Charles is an environmentalist, I will tell you. I say that in a positive way, not a negative way. 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While he did not directly mention Sir Keir's reforms to agricultural property relief, he said farmers in the US had been driven to suicide by taxes and noted that he had acted to remove levies on farmland estates, adding: 'I love our farmers.' 'They don't make a lot of money but it's a way of life and they love that dirt,' he said. Defending the policy, Sir Keir said he was trying to increase farmers' income. Epstein and Maxwell Donald Trump said he'd 'never had the privilege' of going to Jeffrey Epstein's infamous island, where sordid underage sex parties took place, attended by the rich and powerful. Epstein, he said, was 'always a very controversial guy' but he hit back at claims he had sent a suggestive birthday note to the paedophile financier, featuring the outline of a naked woman. 'I never went to the island [Little St James in the US Virgin Islands],' Mr Trump said. 'And Bill Clinton went there, supposedly, 28 times. I never went to the island... I never had the privilege. 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The Independent
7 minutes ago
- The Independent
The cost of renting in Britain reaches record highs – but things might improve for tenants soon
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The Independent
7 minutes ago
- The Independent
Record high rents as tenants pay £400 more per month than five years ago
Asking rents across Britain have reached new record highs, according to an index. The average rent being asked across Britain, excluding London, has reached a record £1,365 per month, according to figures from Rightmove covering the second quarter of this year. Despite reaching a new record, the average asking rent for a home outside of London is now 3.9% higher than this time last year, the lowest this annual growth figure has been since 2020. In London, the average advertised rent has also reached a new high, at £2,712 per month. Average advertised rents for new properties in London rose by 1.9% annually. Rightmove, which used data from its website, said that it is taking an average of 25 days for a rental home to be marked 'let agreed', up from 21 days last year and 18 days in 2022. Nearly a quarter (24%) of rental homes are having price reductions while they are advertised, marking the highest proportion recorded by Rightmove since 2017. It said that the slowing in the pace of rental price growth has been partly because of the balance between supply and demand improving. It is seeing the best balance between supply and demand in the rental market since 2020. The number of properties for tenants to choose from is 15% higher than a year earlier, but remains 29% below the level seen in 2019, just before the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns in the UK. Tenant demand has also fallen by 10% compared with a year earlier. The average number of inquiries a typical rental property receives is now 11 – down from 16 last year, but up from seven in 2019 – the report said. Five years on from when the pandemic began, the average monthly rent that a new tenant faces paying is more than £400 (£417) more than in 2020, Rightmove said. Colleen Babcock, a property expert at Rightmove, said: 'Despite another new record in average asking rents for tenants, the big picture is that yearly rent increases continue to slow, which is good news for tenants. 'Supply and demand is slowly rebalancing towards more normal levels, though we still have a way to go before we reach pre-2020 levels of available homes for tenants.' Alex Caddy, manager at Clarkes Estate and Letting Agency, said: 'The rental market has undergone a marked shift in 2025. 'After several years of sharp rent inflation post-pandemic, tenants hit a ceiling by late 2024, leading to widespread price slowdowns. 'Competitively priced, well-presented properties continue to attract strong interest, echoing trends seen in the sales market. However, the market is now dealing with a much higher supply of rental homes, a complex reversal of previous trends. 'Some landlords have exited the sector over the past two years due to rising regulatory and financial pressures, but with the sales market slowing in some areas, a growing number of those properties have re-entered the rental market. 'Demand remains robust, particularly for quality one and two bedroom homes. Larger properties are moving more slowly, with some seeing longer void periods as tenants benefit from increased choice.' Andrew Ralph, managing director, lettings at LRG (Leaders Romans Group) said: 'We're seeing a shift in the rental market this quarter. Stock levels are up, and demand remains strong but more measured, bringing us closer to a sustainable balance. 'Average rents are still rising year-on-year, but at a slower pace. Pricing correctly from the outset is key, and being quick to adjust price in line with market response helps avoid unnecessary void periods.' Megan Eighteen, president of property professionals' body Arla Propertymark, said: 'Many landlords within the private rental market are grappling with substantial hikes in their overall costs, including increased taxes, unfavourable mortgage rates, and ongoing regulatory challenges. 'These factors are making property investment less appealing and potentially riskier.' Richard Lane, chief client officer at StepChange Debt Charity, said: 'The last five years have hit household finances hard, but few have felt it more sharply than those in the private rented sector. 'The majority of our clients struggling with debt are renters, with a third in the PRS (private rented sector). Our data shows that among StepChange clients, housing costs take up 37% of private renters' incomes on average – compared to 29% among social renters and 27% among mortgage holders. 'When so much of your income goes on rent, it's no wonder private renters are more exposed to debt and financial hardship.' Ben Twomey, chief executive of Generation Rent, said: 'When so much of our income is swallowed up by landlords, it can mean that we can't afford to heat our homes for the winter or feed ourselves properly. Some renters are staring down the barrel of debt and homelessness.'
