And, with
immigration and small boats a key issue for voters, the Home Office is today
talking up its record on one aspect of this problem.
Shabana
Mahmood, the home secretary, has released figures which, she says, shows that
raids to catch people working in the UK illegally have reached “the highest
level in British history”. The PA Media write-up is a tad less hyperbolic,
saying the figures are at their highest level “since current records began in
2019”.
PA
reports:
Some
12,791 visits took place in 2025, up 57% from 8,122 in the previous year, to
businesses such as nail bars, car washes, barbers and takeaway shops.
Ministers
are seeking to crack down on illegal working in the UK, as part of efforts to
deter those coming to the country illegally.
Meanwhile,
arrests were also at a record high of 8,971 last year, up nearly 59% compared
to 5,647 in 2024 – the previous highest point in data published by the Home
Office.
Of
those arrested, 1,087 people have been removed from the UK so far …
The
Home Office also said visits were up 77% and arrests were up 83% since Labour
came to power.
Some
17,483 visits and 12,322 arrests were recorded between July 2024 and December
last year, up from 9,894 and 6,725 respectively across January 2023 to June
2024.
Of the
arrests, 1,726 people have been returned so far, up 35% on the 1,283 removed
from visits in the previous 18-month period.
In a
related move, the Home Office is opening a Secure Borders UK TikTok account
designed to discourage people from coming to the UK illegally on small boats.
The Sun has got some examples of the video if will feature (mostly people being
detained, it appears), and its write-up is negative and sarcastic. The
headline, “Fury as ‘pathetic’ PM’s ‘laughable’ brainwave to stop Channel
migrant dinghies is revealed to be a new TIKTOK ACCOUNT”, sets the tone. But
public opinion does not get turned around overnight, and in Labour circles
there may be a tiny bit of cheer this morning from the latest YouGov poll for
the Times and Sky News showing Reform UK support at its lowest level since
April
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