Arrests of individuals found to be working illegally in the United Kingdom have more than doubled since July 2024, according to figures released by the Home Office. The data indicates a 122% increase in arrests over the past two years, with a record number of immigration raids and arrests occurring in the last six months.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated that the surge in enforcement activity has reached the highest level in British history. "Illegal workers and rogue employers have nowhere to hide," she said. The Home Office reported that since July 2024, over 17,000 arrests have been made.
Immigration raids on businesses saw a 31% increase in the first six months of 2026 compared to the same period last year, resulting in 4,756 arrests, a 20% rise. Prior to Labour taking office in July 2024, the number of people arrested during such raids was already increasing.
The figures also show a 50% rise in individuals being returned to their home countries, totaling 2,357 since July 2024. The highest arrest rates were recorded in London, the West Midlands, and South West England. London saw 1,256 arrests, a 32% increase from the first half of 2025. The West Midlands recorded 701 arrests, and the South West recorded 693, representing increases of 22% and 44% respectively.
Employers, particularly in the beauty, retail, and hospitality sectors, have been issued civil penalties totaling £74 million so far this year. Recent enforcement actions include the arrest of 10 individuals for immigration offenses at a London restaurant on May 30, 15 arrests targeting illegal construction workers on March 23, and nine arrests, primarily for overstaying and suspected illegal working, at two large delivery depots on June 11.
Opposition parties have suggested that opportunities for illegal work act as a draw for migrants attempting to cross the English Channel. Reform UK has proposed rewarding the public for tip-offs leading to successful prosecutions of businesses employing illegal workers. The party also pledged to impose fines on large firms of up to 10% of their global revenues and hold chief executives and directors criminally liable for illegal working.
Reform UK's home affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, commented on the figures, stating, "The British public can see the scourge of illegal working growing all around them. Labour is only insulting their intelligence by claiming it is not." The Home Office is reportedly increasing penalties for companies that hire illegal workers. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp previously stated that "illegal working is booming because Labour have turned Britain into a soft touch."
Companies are legally obligated to verify that their employees have the right to work in the UK. For agency workers, this responsibility falls on the agency. Beginning October 1, employers caught hiring illegal workers in the gig economy, such as delivery riders, face potential fines of up to £60,000 per illegal worker or imprisonment for up to five years.