Latest news with #asylumSeekers
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Keir Starmer's plans for 'return hubs' to take migrants from the UK could be hijacked by Russian spies, MI6 warns
Sir Keir Starmer 's plan for 'return hubs' to take migrants from the UK could be hijacked by Russian spies, the intelligence services have warned. The Prime Minister is eyeing up deals with Balkan countries, and some in Africa, to house failed asylum seekers. But MI6 have warned the Government that proximity to Russia opens up the scheme to infiltration by Kremlin agents. Opening facilities and putting infrastructure into such places would put Britain within 'a Russian sphere of influence', The Times reported. Despite this, Labour is still looking to strike deals with the likes of Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Sir Keir had hoped Albania would join the scheme but was left embarrassed earlier this month when he travelled there, only to be rebuffed by PM Edi Rama. A Government source told the newspaper: 'You'd be planting a prime bit of British interest, British real estate, right into an area where Russia has the ability to control and influence much more than other areas in the world. 'The security view was that it was not sensible or viable. It was based on the evidence that we've seen Russia being willing to use migration as a vehicle to exploit.' The Foreign Office said it would not provide a 'running commentary' on the plans and declined to comment further. British spies are said to be alarmed by growing Russian influence across the western Balkans, warning that the region's deep ties to Moscow pose a significant risk to UK interests. All six western Balkan nations—once part of communist Yugoslavia—are seen as vulnerable to Kremlin interference, according to a senior security source. The source explained that Russia has countless levers it can pull, whether it's through cyber attacks, bribery, embedding allies in government, or pushing propaganda to shift public thinking, Moscow knows how to destabilise. They went on to say there's a serious threat from organised criminal groups tied to Russia, and real questions about whether the region's police forces can cope. MI6 is particularly concerned about Serbia, where President Aleksandar Vucic has built close ties with Vladimir Putin. He's visited Moscow several times in the past year, most recently appearing alongside the Russian president at the Victory Day parade. Officials have also raised alarms over Serbia's visa-free access for Russian citizens, and reports that arms shipments have passed through the country unimpeded. Despite the warnings, Britain has begun informal talks about migrant return deals with several Balkan countries, including Kosovo. Kosovan President Vjosa Osmani has said her country is 'open to discussions' about taking failed UK asylum seekers. But legal experts say the plan is fraught with challenges. Several European countries still refuse to recognise Kosovo as independent, and it is not a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, making any agreement legally and diplomatically complicated.
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Government is paying over £1billion a month to households with at least one foreign national in them
The government is now paying over £1 billion a month on benefits claims to households with at least one foreign national, new figures show. Households with at least one claimant who is a foreigner received £941 million in March his year, up from £461 million year-on-year, The Telegraph reports. This increase represents almost a sixth of the month's Universal Credit payments and cancels out the £1.4 billion the Government saved by cutting winter fuel payments. Experts have suggested that the increase reflects a surge in the number of asylum seekers being granted refugee status in Britain. Foreigners are eligible for UC and other benefits on the same terms as British citizens after being granted indefinite leave to remain or refugee status. The latest figures come as Angela Rayner last week called for migrant benefits to be slashed and urged Rachel Reeves to make changes, after the Deputy PM challenged the Chancellor's economic approach. Bold proposals, outlined in a leaked memo revealed by The Telegraph, also suggested making it harder for immigrants to receive Universal credit. Ms Rayner even said Labour should raise the fee migrants pay to use the NHS, in policies she and her team claimed were 'contentious' but still 'worthy of consideration'. Under current policies, introduced under the Tories in 2015, foreigners on work visas pay to access healthcare - a fee currently set at £1,035. The 'radical' policies further included limiting access to the state pension. The latest revelations come after Ms Reeves was hit with a triple blow to her authority. The Deputy PM suggested launching the plans in the Spring Statement - and hoping to get them over the line by the Autumn Budget. 'Migrants who have spent five to 10 years in the UK generally receive access to a broad range of welfare entitlements,' a section read, as reported by the broadsheet. 'Indefinite leave to remain in the UK confers access to core welfare entitlements such as Universal Credit, and 10 years of National Insurance contributions confers eligibility for some state pension provision. 'Those who arrived in the UK during the period of very high immigration in the past few years will become eligible for indefinite leave to remain over the course of this Parliament.'
Telegraph
a day ago
- Business
- Telegraph
France stops fewer Channel migrants, despite Sunak agreement
France is intercepting fewer Channel migrants than at any time since the first small boats arrived, despite a £480 million funding deal with Britain to help stop crossings, figures suggest. It has stopped 8,347 asylum seekers from reaching UK waters in small boats so far this year, while 13,167 have so far crossed – meaning that just over 38 per cent have been intercepted. That is down from an estimated 45 per cent last year, 46.9 per cent in 2023 and 42.4 per cent in 2022, the record year when 45,774 people reached the UK and 33,791 were prevented from doing so by France. The fall in interceptions comes despite a three-year, £480 million Anglo-French deal agreed by Rishi Sunak in March 2023 to double officers patrolling beaches to 800, set up a joint command centre and a detention centre to stop migrants leaving France. It coincides with a change in tactics by people-smugglers, who have used 'taxi boats' that remain in the water and collect migrants from beaches in northern France. The strategy allows smugglers to evade capture, forcing police to conduct rescue operations rather than arrest the perpetrators. Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has also suggested that the number of crossings – up 30 per cent this year on the same point last year – have surged because of the higher number of good weather 'red days' so far. Ministers believe a series of legal changes in France and Germany will stem the flow of migrants. The French government has amended laws so police can stop boats at sea for the first time. It will enable police to use their own boats in shallow waters to take on people-smugglers carrying migrants in overloaded vessels. French ministers are also planning to restore the offence of an 'illegal stay' in France, which would allow the police to arrest migrants and smugglers before they attempt a crossing. Currently, migrants who attempt to cross the Channel are only considered to have committed an offence when they launch the boat. Germany, where many migrant boats are stored before being deployed to the French coast, is also tightening its laws to make it easier to prosecute those helping to smuggle migrants to the UK. Facilitating people-smuggling is not currently technically illegal in Germany if it is to a third country outside the EU, which includes the UK following Brexit. Under the new agreement, Germany has pledged to make the activity a clear criminal offence. 'France is in breach of international law' A Home Office spokesman said: 'We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security. 'The people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die as long as they pay, and we will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice. That is why this Government has put together a serious plan to take down these networks at every stage. 'Through international intelligence sharing under our Border Security Command, enhanced enforcement operations in northern France and tougher legislation in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, we are strengthening international partnerships and boosting our ability to identify, disrupt, and dismantle criminal gangs whilst strengthening the security of our borders.' However, Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: 'France is in breach of its international law obligations to stop illegal migration. Stopping under 40 per cent of illegal immigrants attempting to cross is pathetic. Even the 40 per cent stopped are simply let go by the French, and they just attempt to cross the next day instead.' Tony Smith, a former Border Force director general, said: 'The figures on French preventions are disappointing given the investment we are making in resourcing their activities there. 'Promises to introduce maritime interventions even in shallow waters have come to nothing – and allowing boats to continue their journeys even after corpses are removed from what is a potential crime scene is totally unacceptable. 'Also, the French policy of handing out life jackets is a clear signal that they have little interest in preventing asylum seekers from putting their lives at risk by crossing the Channel. 'On the contrary, once the boats have launched, their policy is to do all they can to facilitate their passage to UK waters rather than rescue them and take them back to France, where their safety could be assured.'
The Sun
2 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Foreign lorry drivers forced to plaster vans with signs to deter migrants trying to sneak into soft touch Britain
FOREIGN lorries are being plastered with stickers saying they do not go to the UK — to deter migrants from trying to sneak on board. HGV drivers who operate only in Europe put up the notices to warn there is no chance of a free ride across the Channel. One truck in Latvia — 900 miles from Calais — was spotted with the black and yellow signs declaring: 'We don't go to UK.' The warning was repeated underneath in French, amid a rise in attempted illegal lorry crossings. Other Europe-only hauliers are also using the signs on their fleets. But some migrants still sneak on board, only to find themselves still in mainland Europe when they get off. A source said: 'The fact they have to tell migrants they aren't going to the UK shows exactly how in-demand Britain is as a destination. "They know the UK gives them the best treatment and will stop at nothing to come over.' Figures show there were 5,874 detections of illegal immigrants at ports on the continent, including Calais, Dunkirk and the Channel Tunnel in Coquelles. It is a rise of 22 per cent compared with 4,794 in 2023. While migrants crossing the Channel are easily recorded, lorry stowaways may reach the UK undetected. Many go on to obtain illegal cash-in-hand work or claim asylum and be housed in a hotel. The Sun watches as hundreds of illegal migrants arrive at Dover 2
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Tory-run council considers legal action against Labour government over asylum seeker costs
A Tory-run council with the highest concentration of asylum seekers in the country is considering legal action against the Labour government after it was refused a claim for more money for housing. Hillingdon accommodates the highest proportion of asylum seekers - 94 in every 10,000 residents - in the UK because of the number of hotels near Heathrow Airport. Some 3,010 people are being supported by the Home Office, according to latest figures, but when their cases are decided, they are evicted from six hotels in the borough and become the responsibility of Hillingdon Council. The local authority is paying for more than 100 asylum seeker families in temporary accommodation, while others are sleeping rough in tents in the area. Council leader Ian Edwards said the demand on council services had left the authority with a £5.3m shortfall in 2024/25 - but this week, the Home Office refused a claim for the money, claiming cash already provided under a grant was sufficient. Speaking to The Independent, Mr Edwards said: 'We are now in discussions with our lawyers, my expectation is that we will have to challenge that decision. 'This is not about attacking asylum seekers, they need the support... but the idea that the government can intensify the locating and housing of these people in our borough, and then expect our residents to pay for it is just breathtaking.' After coming to power, Labour pledged to speed up asylum seeker applications in a bid to bring down the backlog and save money on hotels. Figures published last week showed the number of people waiting for a decision on an asylum application in the UK had fallen 12 per cent in three months to 109,536 in March this year. However, this had led to a higher number of people needing council support, such as housing, said Mr Edwards. With a 3,000-household waiting list for social housing in the borough, the local authority is buying up more homes for temporary accommodation in an attempt to meet demand. Further strain is also felt by the council's services in education and health. Now, following the government's refusal to make up last year's shortfall on supporting asylum seekers, bosses at the local authority are considering cuts to services for this financial year. Mr Edwards said: 'It is the expectation from the government that the council has staff sitting around waiting to deal with this increase in work. 'It is putting intolerable pressure on our employees. We just aren't configured to deal with this enormous pressure let alone the cost, which is falling onto the shoulders of our residents. 'Once they're evicted and they come to our door, we pay from that moment on. 'The government needs to stop burdening a local authority with the cost of a national problem. This is a national issue. It should be funded nationally. It should come from government and they should be stumping up this cash for us.' London Councils, an organisation representing London's boroughs, told the BBC more funding was needed, with the group estimating a funding shortfall of at least £500m this year across its councils. During a debate in the House of Lords last month, Labour Baroness Taylor said the government was working to ensure a smooth transition for asylum seekers leaving hotels after being granted refugee status. She said: 'We are working hard to make sure that asylum seekers get a decision quickly and that we help local authorities plan more effectively as we reduce the number of asylum seekers waiting for the decision.' The burden on the council from supporting asylum seekers is strained further by arrivals to Heathrow Airport from the Chagos Islands, which were handed over to Mauritius as part of a deal last week. With some Chagossians resistant to Mauritian control, it's not yet clear how many more will come. But last week, 129 British nationals arrived from the Chagos Islands in the London borough, said Mr Edwards, and the council is supporting 93 households. Mr Edwards said: 'The concern for the local authority is that the government, having made that deal, provide the right support to local authorities who will now have to manage the consequences of that decision.' The Home Office said it was working with councils to reduce its reliance on hotels and funding has been announced to support local authorities. A spokesperson said: 'This government inherited a broken asylum system, with tens of thousands stuck in a backlog and claims not being processed, wasting millions in taxpayer money. We are immediately speeding up decisions and increasing returns so we can end the use of hotels, and save the taxpayer £4 billion by 2026. 'We remain committed to working closely with local authorities to work towards a fair and equitable spread of accommodation and provide the financial support required.'
