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The UK government has announced that 60 takeaway-delivery riders found working illegally within the country are facing deportation. These individuals were identified during a national enforcement operation carried out over a seven-day period in November, which resulted in the arrest of 171 riders across various villages, towns, and cities. This crackdown aligns with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s efforts to address illegal employment within the gig economy.
Border Security Minister Alex Norris has engaged with representatives from food-delivery companies to urge them to take stronger measures against unlawful working practices. One suggested approach involves implementing facial recognition technology to prevent the sharing of identities among riders, a tactic intended to ensure that only authorized individuals are performing delivery jobs in the UK. Norris emphasized the seriousness of the issue, stating that the recent enforcement action should “send a clear message: if you are working illegally in this country, you will be arrested and removed.” He further highlighted ongoing legislative efforts to strengthen laws targeting illegal work in the delivery sector.
The Home Office highlighted specific cases during the enforcement blitz, including arrests of Chinese nationals at a restaurant in Solihull, four riders from Bangladesh and India in Newham, east London, and three Indian riders in Norwich. Out of these, seven individuals were detained pending removal from the country. It is important to note that asylum seekers are generally prohibited from engaging in paid employment during their first 12 months in the UK or until their asylum applications are resolved. Despite this restriction, earlier reports revealed that migrants crossing the Channel had been renting accounts from genuine delivery workers via social media, facilitating illegal work through account sharing.
In response, the Home Office has increased coordination with delivery companies, sharing information about asylum accommodation locations to better monitor potential hotspots for unauthorized employment. Companies such as Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats have stepped up random facial recognition checks to verify the identities of riders against their official accounts. The Home Office also reported a significant rise in arrests related to illegal work last year, totaling 8,000, which marks a 63% increase from the prior year. New legislation introduced through the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill aims to extend right-to-work checks more rigorously into the gig economy, including among delivery workers. Although asylum seekers cannot undertake paid work during their initial year in the UK, they are permitted to volunteer. In an additional policy proposal, Mahmood suggested that volunteering could become mandatory for asylum seekers seeking permanent settlement, a move which has faced criticism from over 300 charities who have condemned it as “exploitation.
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