Yvette Cooper targets delivery drivers and beauty salons in major migrant crackdown - No more ‘jobs on tap’

She is announcing that unscrupulous bosses of “gig economy” companies who hire workers without a visa could face unlimited fines and up to five years in prison.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, she said: “We are restoring order to the asylum system. This means introducing tough laws and stopping rogue employers in their tracks. We will clamp down on the jobs on tap that undercut the labour market.”

Her intervention comes just before a major organized crime summit on Monday, where border officials from 40 countries will meet in London.

This week, Labour will seek to redirect public attention from criticism of Rachel Reeves's Spring Statement to its proposals for stricter immigration controls.

Under the existing rules, companies are required to conduct right-to-work checks on employees, but they are not obligated to do so for self-employed contractors.

According to the Government, there are thousands of companies in Britain using flexible arrangements such as zero-hours contracts.

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This means the visas of many employees are not verified.

Takeaways and barbershops, as well as restaurants and car washes, have been found to be employing the most illegal workers.

Cooper has vowed to table new laws to bring gig economy companies into line with those that work with regular contracts.

She said: “Turning a blind eye to illegal working plays into the hands of callous people smugglers trying to sell spaces on flimsy, overcrowded boats with the promise of work and a life in the UK.

“These exploitative practices are often an attempt to undercut competitors who are doing the right thing. But we are clear that the rules need to be respected and enforced.

“These new laws build on significant efforts to stop organised immigration crime and protect the integrity of our borders, including increasing raids and arrests for illegal working and getting returns of people who have no right to be here to their highest rate in half a decade.”

Businesses could face fines of £60,000 per worker if they fail to carry out checks, and could even be forced to close down by the Government.

Rogue bosses also face five-year prison sentences and disqualification.

Companies will usually be able to verify their workers by checking them online through a Home Office database.

The changes will be introduced as an amendment to the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which is currently being debated in the Commons.

In April 2023, immigration officials found that two in every five food delivery drivers were working illegally.

In some cases, asylum seekers living in taxpayer-funded hotels were working these jobs - earning up to £1,500 a month.

Companies such as Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat now carry out right-to-work checks on their riders.

The new crackdown follows Labour's shift to a tougher position on border controls in response to the increasing electoral challenge from Reform.

Last week, it was disclosed that the Home Secretary is considering the option of establishing return agreements to send failed asylum seekers to the Balkans.

She is also reviewing the application of human rights laws, which have been used to prevent the deportation of several foreign criminals.

The Home Office has acknowledged it is unsure how many illegal immigrants are living in the UK or how many have overstayed their visas.

Estimates from 2019 by the Pew Research Center put the illegal population at between 800,000 and 1.2 million.

It revealed that more than half were Asian, while a fifth were from Sub-Saharan Africa.