Arrests of migrants working illegally in the UK have shot up by 51% in the year since Labour came to power. Home Office figures revealed that 6,410 people have been arrested on suspicion of working illegally between July 5 (the day after the general election) and May 31. The department said this was a dramatic increase of 51% compared with the previous year, when the Tories were in charge.

Labour’s Plan for Change facilitated 9,000 enforcement visits to nail bars, construction sites, and restaurants, among other businesses, to find workers without a visa. This was a 48% increase in visits during the previous year. Vulnerable migrants are often tricked by people traffickers into making the potentially deadly crossing to the UK via small boat, only to be forced to work in harsh conditions for little or no money.

Employers should carry out right-to-work checks before hiring someone from abroad, but not every one does. Failure to do so could result in a £60,000 fine per worker, director disqualifications, and up to five years in prison.

Labour has also presided over the return of almost 30,000 people who had no right to be in the UK, the Home Office added.

The Government said it will introduce stricter laws, extend right-to-work checks, and continue to target specific sectors known to have links to illegal workers.

Dame Angela Eagle, minister for border security and asylum, said: “For too long, employers have been able to take on and exploit migrants, with people allowed to arrive and work here illegally.

“This will no longer be tolerated on our watch. That’s why we are ramping up our enforcement activity and introducing tougher laws to finally get a grip of our immigration and asylum system.”

Despite this, the Government remains highly criticised for its handling of small boat crossings, notably by French President Emmanuel Macron.

He is reportedly set to ask the UK for more money to intercept Channel migrants at sea, despite already being promised £480 million.

Home Office sources told the Express France has not spent all of this staggering sum yet, which was agreed upon by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in 2023.