The United Kingdom is spending more than £500,000 per day on average to detain and transport individuals classified as illegal migrants, according to official figures. The Home Office allocated £186 million over a 12-month period, from June 2025 to May 2026, for the housing and movement of migrants held in immigration detention and Border Force custody.
This expenditure encompasses transporting individuals between various facilities, including prisons, police stations, hospitals, and short-term holding centers. It also covers the upkeep of Immigration Removal Centres and the costs associated with escorting migrants to deportation flights.
The majority of these funds, approximately £137 million, are paid to the contractor Mitie for escorts moving migrants within the UK. This amounts to an average of £375,564 daily. An additional £48 million is spent on overseas escorts for migrants being returned to their countries of origin via scheduled or chartered flights.
These figures come to light amid a significant increase in the number of small boat migrants arriving in the UK. Official data indicates that over 80,000 small boat migrants have reached the UK since the current Labour government came to power, with a recent rise in larger vessels capable of carrying over 100 people at a time.
Critics have voiced strong opposition to the spending. Chris Philp, the Tories’ shadow home secretary, described the figures as a “catastrophic waste of taxpayers’ hard-earned money.” John O'Connell of the TaxPayers' Alliance called for immediate action to address the "eyewatering waste."
A spokesperson for the Home Office stated that the reported sums include broader expenditures for a range of services, such as immigration detention facilities and other operational matters.