UK Strengthens Security with New Measures Against Illegal Working

London, July 23 (PTI) – The UK Home Office has declared a new agreement with leading food delivery companies like Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats to receive data on the locations of asylum hotels, a move aimed at curbing illegal employment in the nation. The new agreement strengthens existing security measures, previously suspending delivery riders caught sharing accounts with individuals lacking the right to work in the UK. It seeks to better identify rule-breakers. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper stated, "Illegal working undermines honest businesses, exploits vulnerable individuals, and fuels organized immigration crime." The collaboration with delivery companies signals decisive action to tackle loopholes and enhance enforcement, amid a 50% uptick in raids and arrests for illegal working under the Plan for Change. Additionally, stricter security protocols and new legislation are being introduced. The initiative aims to enable private firms to detect misuse patterns, identify unauthorized account sharing, and swiftly suspend such accounts. This action follows a commitment by the firms during a roundtable with ministers to adopt new security measures. These include enhanced facial verification checks and fraud detection technologies to ensure platform access is limited to verified users. Eddy Montgomery, Director of Enforcement, Compliance and Crime at the Home Office, commented that coordinated efforts with delivery firms would target illegal gig economy workers and those exploiting their UK status. This week, official statistics revealed over 10,000 visits to various sectors in the past year, resulting in 7,130 arrests, reflecting a 50% increase from the prior year. It's reportedly the first 12-month period with more than 10,000 inspections. Furthermore, nearly 750 civil penalty notices for illegal working were issued in the first quarter, marking the highest level since 2016 and representing an 80% increase from the same period last year. The government is working to tighten laws, making it mandatory for all companies, including those with short-term contract-based gig economies, to verify the legal work status of their employees. The forthcoming Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill will implement these groundbreaking measures to combat misuse of flexible work arrangements. This action is one of several recent measures to address the substantial number of migrants residing and working illegally in the UK.

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