Reform pledges to imprison bosses using illegal migrants

Reform UK has said it would jail company bosses who use or employ migrant labour, as they pledge to end illegal working in Britain.

The party will soon pledge to introduce ‘the harshest penalties in the world for those employing illegal migrants’.

As well as jail time for CEOs and directors, Nigel Farage’s government would fine firms 10% of their global revenues.

Branding the new policy ‘The Deliveroo Law’, in reference to claims of illegal migrants using delivery apps to earn money, the party’s Home Affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf said: ‘The Tories and Labour have made Britain the softest-touch country in the world for illegal migrants to undercut British workers.’

‘There are companies whose entire business model is based on profiteering from illegal working.

‘It is a slap in the face to the public. It makes a mockery of our immigration laws, takes jobs from British workers and is funding the people smugglers in the Channel.’

As Home Secretary, Mr Yusuf would pᴀss legislation to make CEOs and directors of large companies personally and criminally liable for illegal working, regardless of knowledge of the workers’ legal status.

The party says this would be comparable to the personal liability of senior managers for financial misconduct in their firms.

Zia Yusuf will tomorrow outline a series of fresh measures to end companies using illegal migrant labour

Reform brands it the ‘Deliveroo law’, but the company strongly pushed back on the party’s attacks this evening 

They added that the eye-watering fines collected under the law would be channelled towards victims of migrant crime and regenerating local high streets.

Mr Yusuf will also announce plans to launch a ‘Turkish Barbers tip line’, to allow members of the public to report suspected illegal working or organised criminal activity on the high street.

Local forces would be incentivised to chase tip-offs with the promise of receiving a share of the fines generated.

In July, the Government tabled new legislation to make it a legal requirement for all employers to carry out checks on the status of workers, including those in the gig economy.

Last August it emerged that Deliveroo and Just Eat delivery accounts were being offered to migrants ‘within 10 minutes of asking’ through social media groups.

Migrants were paying as little as £40 a week for other people’s login details as riders for the delivery companies – a loophole the firms pledged to address more than a year ago.

Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats have already said they would introduce additional checks on ‘account sharing’ following talks with the Home Office.

Last night, a spokesman for Deliveroo said: ‘Illegal working should absolutely be addressed, and that’s why we’ve led the industry in cracking down on the sophisticated, organised criminals who attempt to abuse our platform.

‘We run Right to Work checks on all riders, conduct multiple daily idenтιтy checks and use cutting-edge fraud-detection technology, and we’d encourage other industries affected by illegal working to do the same.’

A Home Office spokesman told the Mail: ‘We are already closing the loopholes that allow illegal migrants to work in the UK by extending right to work checks to the gig economy and delivery sector. Employers who break the law face severe consequences, including fines of up to £60,000 per illegal worker, business closures, licence revocations and prison sentences of up to five years.’