UK Response to Abused Migrant Carers Failing Most, Data Show
A major UK initiative to match thousands of exploited migrant care workers with employers has helped less than 4% find jobs, according to a Freedom of Information request, casting doubt on the government's efforts curb the industry's reliance on new employees brought in from abroad.
More than 28,000 migrant care workers whose visas were tied to their employer had to be referred to government job-finding 'hubs' between May 2024 and April 2025, according data released by the Home Office in response to an FOI from charity the Work Rights Centre. That was after they lost the job they were supposed to fill when UK Visas and Immigration officers discovered more than 470 employers were exploiting staff and revoked their licenses to sponsor overseas workers.
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11 hours ago
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Government struggles to cut foreign aid spent on asylum hotels
The government is struggling to cut the amount of foreign aid it spends on hotel bills for asylum seekers in the UK, the BBC has learnt. New figures released quietly by ministers in recent days show the Home Office plans to spend £2.2bn of overseas development assistance (ODA) this financial year - that is only marginally less than the £2.3bn it spent in 2024/25. The money is largely used to cover the accommodation costs of thousands of asylum seekers who have recently arrived in the UK. The Home Office said it was committed to ending asylum hotels and was speeding up asylum decisions to save taxpayers' money. The figures were published on the Home Office website with no accompanying notification to media. Foreign aid is supposed to be spent alleviating poverty by providing humanitarian and development assistance overseas. But under international rules, governments can spend some of their foreign aid budgets at home to support asylum seekers during the first year after their arrival. According to the most recent Home Office figures, there are about 32,000 asylum seekers in hotels in the UK. Labour promised in its manifesto to "end asylum hotels, saving the taxpayer billions of pounds". Contracts signed by the Conservative government in 2019 were expected to see £4.5bn of public cash paid to three companies to accommodate asylum seekers over a 10-year period. But a report by spending watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO) in May said that number was expected to be £15.3bn. Asylum accommodation costs set to triple, says watchdog Asylum hotel companies vow to hand back some profits On June 3, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the Home Affairs Committee she was "concerned about the level of money" being spent on asylum seekers' accommodation and added: "We need to end asylum hotels altogether." The Home Office said it was trying to bear down on the numbers by reducing the time asylum seekers can appeal against decisions. It is also planning to introduce tighter financial eligibility checks to ensure only those without means are housed. But Whitehall officials and international charities have said the Home Office has no incentive to reduce ODA spending because the money does not come out of its budgets. The scale of government aid spending on asylum hotels has meant huge cuts in UK support for humanitarian and development priorities across the world. Those cuts have been exacerbated by the government's reductions to the overall ODA budget. In February, Sir Keir Starmer said he would cut aid spending from 0.5% of gross national income to 0.3% by 2027 - a fall in absolute terms of about £14bn to some £9bn. Such was the scale of aid spending on asylum hotels in recent years that the previous Conservative government gave the Foreign Office an extra £2bn to shore up its humanitarian commitments overseas. But Labour has refused to match that commitment. Gideon Rabinowitz, director of policy at the Bond network of development organisations, said: "Cutting the UK aid budget while using it to prop up Home Office costs is a reckless repeat of decisions taken by the previous Conservative government. "Diverting £2.2bn of UK aid to cover asylum accommodation in the UK is unsustainable, poor value for money, and comes at the expense of vital development and humanitarian programmes tackling the root causes of poverty, conflict and displacement. "It is essential that we support refugees and asylum seekers in the UK, but the government should not be robbing Peter to pay Paul." Sarah Champion, chair of the International Development Committee, said the government was introducing "savage cuts" to its ODA spending, risking the UK's development priorities and international reputation, while "Home Office raids on the aid budget" had barely reduced. "Aid is meant to help the poorest and most vulnerable across the world: to alleviate poverty, improve life chances and reduce the risk of conflict," she said. "Allowing the Home Office to spend it in the UK makes this task even harder." "The government must get a grip on spending aid in the UK," she said. "The Spending Review needs to finally draw a line under this perverse use of taxpayer money designed to keep everyone safe and prosperous in their own homes, not funding inappropriate, expensive accommodation here." Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: "Labour promised in their manifesto to end the use of asylum hotels for illegal immigrants. But the truth is there are now thousands more illegal migrants being housed in hotels under Labour. "Now these documents reveal that Labour are using foreign aid to pay for asylum hotel accommodation – yet another promise broken." A Home Office spokesperson said: "We inherited an asylum system under exceptional pressure, and continue to take action, restoring order, and reduce costs. This will ultimately reduce the amount of Official Development Assistance spent to support asylum seekers and refugees in the UK. "We are immediately speeding up decisions and increasing returns so that we can end the use of hotels and save the taxpayer £4bn by 2026." Is the government meeting its pledges on illegal immigration and asylum?
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11 hours ago
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Loft Lines raided as part of immigration enforcement
The Home Office has arrested almost 150 people during immigration enforcement raids at workplaces across Northern Ireland since July 2024, new figures reveal. BBC News NI understands 36 people were arrested at the Loft Lines complex in the Titanic Quarter in Belfast. The Graham Group is one of the main building contractors on the site. It is understood that those arrested did not work for the company. BBC News NI put a number of questions to the Graham Group about the raid but a spokesperson said they would not be issuing any response. Figures released by the Home Office show that between 5 July 2024 and 31 May 2025, 113 visits resulted in 148 arrests. This marked a 48% rise compared to the year before. The department said it was part of "a drive to combat illegal working" with a particular focus on tackling employers facilitating illegal working, often subjecting migrants to squalid conditions and illegal working hours below minimum wage. Restaurants, nail bars and construction sites have been among the thousands of businesses targeted. Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, said the government was "committed to tackling illegal working as we intensify our enforcement efforts to disrupt organised immigration networks at every level". "There must be no hiding place from the law and these figures demonstrate our determination to curb immigration offending and disrupt unscrupulous employers," she added. "Under our Plan for Change, we are laser focused on fixing our immigration system and securing our borders once and for all." BBC News NI understands that a major co-ordinated operation reported in March, took place at the Loft Lines development. Offences ranged from breaching visa conditions to illegal entry in the UK with no permission to work. Loft Lines is a three-block apartment development located at Queen's Island in the docks area of the city, on land which used to form part of the Harland and Wolff shipyard. The majority of the 778 apartments will be privately owned and rented out to tenants, but up to 20% of the properties will be constructed as social, affordable homes. The lead developers of the site are Lacuna Developments and Watkin Jones Group PLC, while Graham Group are leading on construction. Watkin Jones PLC declined to comment. Lacuna Developments have been approached for comment by BBC News NI. The development has previously been criticised for blocking the view of Belfast's Titanic museum as the apartments are being built in front of it. BBC News NI understands that 30 of the individuals arrested elected to leave the UK voluntarily. Five have been placed on immigration bail and are now required to report regularly to the Home Office. A 16-year-old boy was also being supported by local authorities. The individual arrested on suspicion of immigration offences has been bailed pending further investigation. Fears towers will block Titanic Belfast Home Office arrest 36 in Titanic Quarter construction site 'swoop' Funding for Belfast build-to-rent scheme agreed
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12 hours ago
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Loft Lines raided as part of immigration enforcement
The Home Office has arrested almost 150 people during immigration enforcement raids at workplaces across Northern Ireland since July 2024, new figures reveal. BBC News NI understands 36 people were arrested at the Loft Lines complex in the Titanic Quarter in Belfast. The Graham Group is one of the main building contractors on the site. It is understood that those arrested did not work for the company. BBC News NI put a number of questions to the Graham Group about the raid but a spokesperson said they would not be issuing any response. Figures released by the Home Office show that between 5 July 2024 and 31 May 2025, 113 visits resulted in 148 arrests. This marked a 48% rise compared to the year before. The department said it was part of "a drive to combat illegal working" with a particular focus on tackling employers facilitating illegal working, often subjecting migrants to squalid conditions and illegal working hours below minimum wage. Restaurants, nail bars and construction sites have been among the thousands of businesses targeted. Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, said the government was "committed to tackling illegal working as we intensify our enforcement efforts to disrupt organised immigration networks at every level". "There must be no hiding place from the law and these figures demonstrate our determination to curb immigration offending and disrupt unscrupulous employers," she added. "Under our Plan for Change, we are laser focused on fixing our immigration system and securing our borders once and for all." BBC News NI understands that a major co-ordinated operation reported in March, took place at the Loft Lines development. Offences ranged from breaching visa conditions to illegal entry in the UK with no permission to work. Loft Lines is a three-block apartment development located at Queen's Island in the docks area of the city, on land which used to form part of the Harland and Wolff shipyard. The majority of the 778 apartments will be privately owned and rented out to tenants, but up to 20% of the properties will be constructed as social, affordable homes. The lead developers of the site are Lacuna Developments and Watkin Jones Group PLC, while Graham Group are leading on construction. Watkin Jones PLC declined to comment. Lacuna Developments have been approached for comment by BBC News NI. The development has previously been criticised for blocking the view of Belfast's Titanic museum as the apartments are being built in front of it. BBC News NI understands that 30 of the individuals arrested elected to leave the UK voluntarily. Five have been placed on immigration bail and are now required to report regularly to the Home Office. A 16-year-old boy was also being supported by local authorities. The individual arrested on suspicion of immigration offences has been bailed pending further investigation. Fears towers will block Titanic Belfast Home Office arrest 36 in Titanic Quarter construction site 'swoop' Funding for Belfast build-to-rent scheme agreed
