Major crackdown on migrants working illegally as firms will be given locations of asylum hotels to axe riders' accounts

Scottish Sun

2 days ago

Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
MIGRANT hotel locations will be handed to delivery firm bosses to stop illegal riders using their apps.
The Home Office has struck a deal with Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats in a major win for The Sun.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
3
Hot-spots for delivery riders working illegally will be flagged up for raids to immigration enforcement officers
Credit: Ray Collins
3
A masked rider challenges an immigration enforcement officer about his rights
Credit: Chris Eades
3
Officers speak to a migrant delivery rider
We revealed asylum seekers were raking in up to £1,000 a week within days of arriving in Britain.
They are not legally allowed to work but have used shared accounts to dodge checks.
Last night PM Sir Keir Starmer said: 'The Sun has rightly put the spotlight on migrants working illegally as food delivery riders.
"And we're tackling the problem. If a rider is staying at this accommodation, the companies will know and can close down the rider's account.
'We will do what it takes to uphold the law and to ensure fairness for the British people.'
Under the agreement, hot-spots for such riders will be flagged up for raids by to immigration enforcement officers.
And delivery companies — who insist that they are already investing heavily in security systems to prevent abuse — will be hauled in again in the coming weeks to give updates on what progress they have made.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: 'Illegal working undermines honest business, exploits vulnerable individuals and fuels organised immigration crime.
'By enhancing our data-sharing with delivery companies, we are taking decisive action to close loopholes and increase enforcement.'
Last month we revealed how more than 20 cops in body armour swooped on the Thistle City Barbican hotel in central London after our investigation revealed migrants living there were working illegally.
Undercover delivery driver investigation
But the migrants were allowed to return to their taxpayer-funded rooms after being questioned.
Tory Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'It shouldn't take a Sun investigation to get the Government to finally take action.
'It is disgraceful that rampant illegal working has been taking place on an industrial scale at the very hotels Yvette Cooper is responsible for running.
'This is all a consequence of the Government's complete failure to control our borders.
'All illegal immigrants need to be removed immediately to their country of origin or another safe country.
'Then, the crossings would soon stop.'
Labour is also planning to tighten the law, forcing gig economy firms to carry out full right-to-work checks on anyone using their platforms.
And, from today, the Government is ramping up pressure on the criminals fuelling the migrant crisis.
'Plans in place to stop the gangs'
By Sir Keir Starmer
WE will stop at nothing to tackle illegal migration. So this week we have delivered a world first: a new sanctions regime to target the vile people-smuggling gangs.
We will go after the gang leaders, those supplying boats and fake passports, and the moneymen.
Their assets will be frozen. Their bank accounts will be closed. And they will be banned from the UK.
We've already returned 35,000 people — way up on the year before.
We're working with Germany to close a legal loophole there, allowing police to seize small boats being stored and transported in their country.
By working with France, we have agreed to a totally unprecedented returns pilot.
We're also taking a zero-tolerance approach to the illegal jobs which gangs promise.
Under our nationwide crackdown, raids and arrests are already up 50 per cent.
The Sun has rightly put the spotlight on migrants working illegally as food delivery riders.
We will share asylum accommodation locations with Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats. If a rider is staying at this accommodation, the firms will know and can close down their account.
We will do what it takes to uphold the law and to ensure fairness for the British people.
Leaders of smuggling gangs, peddlers of fake passports and corrupt officials will be named and shamed.
The first wave – expected to number around two dozen offenders – will include travel bans, asset freezes, and restrictions on access to the UK financial system.
Meanwhile the Sun can reveal the Thistle City Hotel, one of the capital's biggest asylum accommodation locations, is still being used as a base for illegal riders.
When The Sun returned yesterday it appeared nothing had changed — as a steady stream of migrants came and went in full delivery rider gear from a fenced-off area put up to hide them from public view.
We previously revealed that owners the Clermont Hotel Group, headed by CEO Gavin Taylor, had raked in £28million in revenue since taking on asylum seekers in November 2021.
But at the same time residents of a block of apartments across the road fear the value of their homes has plummeted.
One, who moved in 15 years ago, told The Sun: 'It is just constant noise, every day and every night.
'They all work.
'The police are here constantly.
'It's annoying a lot of residents in the block.
'I put my place on the market last year but nothing happened and I ended up taking it off the market because I had a newborn.
Staff don't quiz 'kids'
SMALL boat migrants who claim to be children are being given the benefit of the doubt by staff.
A report by borders inspector David Bolt found that immigration workers show a 'lack of curiosity'.
An Iranian with grey hairs and black stubble had his age claim of 17 accepted despite being assessed as 22.
AI technology is set to be rolled out in 2026 which can accurately assess a person's age.
Last year half of the 'children' were really adults.
'I'm not against people coming here for a better life.
'And obviously asylum seekers need to be somewhere.
'But if the hotel closed it would make the area a lot better.
'I'm sure the people who own the hotel are doing really well, funded by the Home Office while we pay our service charge and our taxes.'
And a 27-year-old city finance worker said the problem had 'got a lot worse' since he moved in at the start of the year.
He said: 'We went over there to try to get information on how long it would be a migrant hotel.
'We were pretty much kicked out straight away.
'They said they understand the problems but once the residents are on the street, they have no control.'
The owner of a coffee shop said customers were staying away and his business had been broken into three times.
He added: 'I pay £8,000 every three months in taxes and business rates.
'If the hotel closed down I am sure business would improve.'