Social media ads for Channel crossings to be banned under new offence
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has also said she plans to introduce a fast-track scheme to tackle the asylum backlog, with the aim to turn around decisions within weeks.
The Government is under pressure to speed up asylum processing and bring down small boat crossings, with arrivals passing more than 25,000 for 2025 so far on Wednesday – a record for this point in the year.
Assisting illegal immigration to the UK is already a crime, but officials believe a new offence will give more powers to police and other agencies to disrupt criminal gangs.
Around 80% of migrants arriving to the UK by small boat told officials they used social media during their journey, including to contact agents linked to people smuggling gangs, according to analysis by the Home Office.
'Selling the false promise of a safe journey to the UK and a life in this country – whether on or offline – simply to make money, is nothing short of immoral,' the Home Secretary said.
'These criminals have no issue with leading migrants to life-threatening situations using brazen tactics on social media. We are determined to do everything we can to stop them, wherever they operate.'
She told The Sunday Times that Labour was planning a 'major overhaul' of the asylum appeal process in the hope it would help to make a significant dent in the numbers.
'We need a major overhaul of the appeal [process] and that's what we are going to do in the autumn… If we speed up the decision-making appeal system and also then keep increasing returns, we hope to be able to make quite a big reduction in the overall numbers in the asylum system, because that is the best way to actually restore order and control,' Ms Cooper said.
The aim would be to compress the process so decisions and returns could happen 'within weeks', the newspaper reported, citing a source familiar with the plans.
Ms Cooper had previously said she wanted to put a 'fast-track' system for decisions and appeals in place so that people from countries considered safe would not sit in the asylum system for a long time.
'That would mean a fast-track system alongside the main asylum system, I think that would be really important in terms of making sure that the system is fair,' she told the Home Affairs committee in June.
'That will require legislation in order to be able to do that, as well as a new system design.'
The plans to tackle the online promotion of Channel crossings would see a new offence created under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill already going through Parliament.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) already works with social media companies to remove posts promoting crossings, with more than 8,000 taken offline in 2024.
But the proposed new offence will give them more options of how to target gangs and their business models, NCA director general of operations Rob Jones said.
The case of a Preston-based smuggler jailed for 17 years for posting videos of migrants thanking him for his help could have been targeted under the proposed offence.
Albanian smugglers who used social media to promote £12,000 'package deals' for accommodation and a job in the UK on arrival would also be in scope.
The Conservatives said it was 'too little, too late' and that only their proposal to automatically deport people who enter Britain via unauthorised routes can tackle small boat crossings.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: 'Labour still has no clear plan to deter illegal entry, no effective enforcement and no strategy to speed up removals. This is a panicked attempt to look tough after months of doing nothing.
'The only clear and enforceable plan is the Conservative Deportation Bill, a no-nonsense strategy that allows us to detain illegal arrivals immediately and remove them without delay. The British public deserve focused action, not more of Labour's dithering.'
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
What is Yvette Cooper's plan to fast-track asylum claims?
As tensions flare up in the UK over migration, with protests taking place in Newcastle, Manchester and north London, the government is pursuing a new plan to reduce the asylum backlog. The home secretary has said she plans to introduce a fast-track scheme to turn around asylum decisions within weeks, via a 'major overhaul' of the appeal process. The plan is part of a wider attempt to crack down on the number of people crossing the Channel, with Ms Cooper announcing a 'one-in-one-out' returns deal with France earlier this year. But despite their efforts, last week it was revealed that the number of migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the English Channel topped 25,000 in record time, piling pressure on the government to take further action. It is hoped that the new plan will make a dent in the backlog and return people to safe countries faster, reducing the number of asylum seekers who are housed in hotels while awaiting the outcome of a claim or appeal. Here, The Independent takes a look at everything we know about the plan so far and how it will work in practice. How would the fast-track system work? Asylum seekers and their families are housed in temporary accommodation, including hotels, if they are waiting for the outcome of a claim or an appeal and have been assessed as not being able to support themselves independently. But Yvette Cooper has now promised a 'major overhaul' of the appeal process, speeding up the time it takes for decisions on claims and appeals to be made. There are currently limited details on how this system would work, but sources told the Sunday Times it would allow decisions to be taken within weeks, rather than months or even years. Once a decision has been taken, those who have been rejected will be returned to their home country – reducing the number of people housed in temporary accommodation. 'If we speed up the decision-making appeal system and also then keep increasing returns, we hope to be able to make quite a big reduction in the overall numbers in the asylum system, because that is the best way to actually restore order and control,' Ms Cooper said. When will it be implemented? The home secretary has said she will legislate for the changes in autumn, when MPs return from their summer break. But it could take months for any legislation to pass through parliament, meaning we are unlikely to see the fast-track system implemented until the new year. How big is the asylum backlog and why is tackling it a priority? As of the end of March 2025, there were 78,745 asylum applications awaiting an initial decision – an 8 per cent decrease from the end of June 2024 and a 13 per cent decrease compared to the end of December 2024, official immigration statistics show. These outstanding cases related to 109,536 people, including both main applicants and their dependents. Labour has put a pledge to fix the 'broken' asylum system and crack down on the number of people coming to the UK on small boats at the centre of its plan for government. But with boat crossings at a record high, and the asylum backlog still above 75,000, there is mounting pressure on ministers to take more drastic action, a pressure exacerbated by the success of Reform UK in the polls. The government has also promised to end the use of asylum hotels before the end of this parliament, a promise it is unlikely to meet unless the backlog is reduced. Tensions over asylum hotels have flared up in recent weeks, with a protest and counter-protest taking place on Saturday outside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in north London, and also in Newcastle and Manchester.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Record number of migrants claim asylum after arriving as skilled workers
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
British travellers have been fined £30million in 18 months for accidentally bringing migrants into the country - with only ONE successfully appealing the punishment
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The fines come as the Government attempts to crack down on illegal immigration, including small boat crossings, but rather than punishing smugglers, it is innocent Brits, wholly unaware of any wrongdoing, who have been penalized under the scheme. One public spirited couple were punished for reporting a stowaway in their van - sparking widespread astonishment and the intervention of the prime minister. Adrian and Joanne Fenton, from Heybridge, Essex, were fined £1,500 by the Home Office in March after reporting a migrant in their motorhome after returning from France. The couple were shocked to find a Sudanese man inside a bag covering a bike rack on their motorhome after a long drive back from Calais and immediately called the police, who took the man away for processing. Yet just over two months later, the pair were issued with the fine for failing to 'check that no clandestine entrant was concealed' in the camper van. Mr Fenton appealed to Border Force by making a 'notice of objection' detailing why he believed the penalty was unfair. While their fine was waived after growing public pressure, their 'liability' remained. A letter from Border Force said: 'The written notice of objection has been carefully considered and the Secretary of State has decided that your liability stands. 'However, after review of the case by a senior officer the level of penalty per clandestine entrant or person concealed being a clandestine entrant has been revised to UK £0. They are not the only innocent couple to unknowingly end up on the wrong side of the law, with a retired ambulance service worker previously warning Brits to be on high alert during Channel crossings. Great-grandfather Peter Hughes, 75, from Droylsden, Tameside, was initially fined a staggering £6,000 after a Sudanese man was found hiding inside his small camping trailer at the Port of Calais in France. After an appeal accompanied by substantial political and media pressure, this sum was eventually reduced to £150 - which he begrudgingly paid despite he and his wife, Anne, knowing nothing about the migrant's existence. Since the beginning of last year, 12,320 fines totalling £14,676,894.84 have been paid, although some of these were imposed previously. Only one appeal of 141 penalties has been successful. That triumphant appeal saw the Home Office rescind a Kent couple's £3,000 fine after they unwittingly drove two Sudanese migrants through Calais in their campervan. Lisa Russell and Geoff Evans were stopped by border officers in France on their return from holiday and were slapped with the penalty despite having 'no idea' a man and teenager were hidden in the bike rack of their van. But their appeal, the only successful one in an 18-month period, saw the Border Force 'exercising general discretion' and remove their penalty. A letter from Border Force said: 'Following a review of the case we have decided to revise the penalty, and conclude that you have demonstrated, to the extent required, that you complied with the regulations. 'The Secretary of State has chosen to exercise general discretion and exceptionally, on this occasion, your penalty has been reduced to £0.' Others have had their fines reduced with one haulage company paying £7,566 after an original £48,000 bill. Around 5,000 'clandestine entrants' were found last year at UK border controls in Calais, Coquelles and Dunkirk, according to a report by the immigration and borders watchdog. Inevitably, others would have managed to evade checks. Meanwhile, more than 25,000 migrants have arrived in the UK via small boats in 2025, a record at this stage of the year. A Home Office spokesperson said: 'We are fully committed to stopping people from illegally entering the country and cracking down on people smugglers. 'It's against the law to help someone enter the UK illegally, which is why the Clandestine Entrant Civil Penalty Scheme is there to ensure drivers take every reasonable step to deter illegal migration.'
