Under this government 45 per cent fewer employers have been issued with fines for employing illegal immigrants
Today Yvette Cooper MP, Labour’s shadow home secretary, will set out how a Labour government could do more to strengthen Britain’s borders. Labour accuse the Conservatives of failing to support border staff in the fight against illegal immigration.
Under this government there have been fewer drugs seizures, fewer people turned away at the border and fewer enforced removals, despite Cameron’s tough rhetoric on immigration. 45 per cent fewer employers have been issued with fines and 88 per cent fewer have faced prison sentences for employing illegal immigrants.
Ms Cooper is expected to outline Labour’s plan to recruit an additional 1,000 border staff, paid for by levying a charge on non-visa visitors to the UK, to help enforce immigration rules. She will also describe Labour’s plans to increase the fine for employing illegal migrants by a third to at least £30,000, and introduce an escalator system for more serious offences, meaning that serial offenders would face even higher fines.
There were almost 2000 fewer enforced immigration removals from the UK this year than in the comparable period under the last Labour government – from 15,252 in 2009 to 13,313 in 2013. The number of people stopped at the border and subsequently returned has gone down from 26,378 in 2009/10 to 14,473 in 2013/14.
In 2009/10, 2,254 were issued with civil penalties for knowingly employing illegal immigrants; in 2013/14 it had gone down to 2,090. The previous year it had slumped to just 1,247.
On Thursday night Jeremy Paxman accused the prime minister of failing to fulfil his promises on immigration targets, which Cameron was forced to concede.
Ruby Stockham is a staff writer at Left Foot Forward. Follow her on Twitter
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers and to make the biggest impact we can in the next general election, we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 124 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.
23 Responses to “The Tories have failed to crack down on illegal immigration”
damon
This is a rather odd piece for this blog.
It looks like you can be dammed whatever you do about immigration.
Try to enforce rules and you get called racist, and then criticism like this.
People who don’t want to leave the country, even when told to have a few options open to them, even if they are stuck inside a deportation ”prison” like Harmondsworth or Yarl’s Wood.
You can cause trouble, self harm, cry racism etc, and you will help your cause.
Even if they try to physically stick you on an aeroplane, you can still resist and shout, and they may back off or the captain of the plane may refuse to take a struggling prisoner/passenger.
AlanGiles
I think this is what they call “dog whistle” politics. Either that or desperate guff.
dan0lee
What would Nigel Farage do about the exploited illegal immigrants already here
– the ones he wants everyone to blame for stealing jobs and driving down wages? Not a lot would be my guess.
If Labour’s plans are put into action they will go some way to reducing immigration and ensuring more jobs for Brits.
Guest
“Try to enforce rules and you get called racist”
Keep making up nonsense whining.
And thanks for describing your actions. Clearly. Go home!
Guest
So we have too much trade, and you need to block the 99%. Can’t allow tourism and business visitors either.
ALL gotta be stopped. For your beloved isolation.