Furious Lee Anderson demands end to 'soft touch Britain' as asylum seekers work illegally

The Home Office was ordered "get a grip" and end the scandal of asylum seekers working illegally as delivery drivers, with Reform MP Lee Anderson calling the scandal "soft-touch Britain at its worst". He warned the Home Office has "completely lost control of the asylum system" after an Express investigation revealed men living in a migrant hotel making deliveries for firms such as Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats - even though they are barred from working.

And the MP said: "This excellent investigation proves that asylum seekers and illegal migrants are working when they shouldn't be, with the Home Office and delivery companies turning a blind eye. It's no surprise we're heading for a record year of illegal Channel crossings. Migrants know Labour's Britain will fling open the doors, stick them in a cushy hotel, let them work and never bother deporting them."

Conservative Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp insisted "it's time to shut the racket down" and warned: "When illegal migrants arrive and are housed in taxpayer-funded hotels, supported with meals and services, and able to access work illegally through gig economy platforms, it is a farce and signals to the rest of the world that Britain's border is open for business."

The Home Office admitted our inquiry had uncovered serious flaws in the enforcement of employment laws and insisted it was taking action, with border security minister Dame Angela Eagle due to meet food delivery companies next week.

Dame Angela said: "The Express investigation is right to highlight this illegal working racket, which undermines honest business and undercuts local wages."

An Express probe observed at least 10 men over two nights leaving a central London asylum hotel and carrying out delivery work, even though asylum seekers cannot work for at least a year when waiting for claims to be processed and even those given permits cannot work as delivery drivers under Home Office rules

Other residents were seem drinking and taking drugs outside the 400-bed three-star hotel, which has been commandeered as asylum seeker accommodation. But a security team at the site did nothing about the antisocial behaviour and illegal working, and told us to direct questions to the Home Office.

Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat all tell potential drivers they must provide documentation proving they have the right to work in the UK. But Home Office officials fear that people with the required paperwork are setting up accounts with the delivery firms and then selling these on to asylum seekers.

Migrants paying as little as £40 a week for login details can make hundreds of pounds a week, using taxpayer-funded hotels as a base for their bikes, bags and uniforms.

Mr Philp has written to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper after he made an unannounced visit to an asylum hotel on Friday and found his own evidence of illegal working.

He told her: "The ability to work illegally is a pull factor for illegal immigration and is fuelling the illegal immigration crisis."

And writing in the Daily Express, he said: "What we're witnessing is industrial-scale rule-breaking, bankrolled by you. Every time a courier bag is zipped up in one of these taxpayer-funded hotels, it zips shut the credibility of the government running it."

The Home Office said the Government's Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, currently being debated in Parliament, would close a legal loophole by making it clear that firms must ensure all their staff are working legally even if they are not formally classed as employees.

Dame Angela said: "The Labour government is already taking action by increasing illegal working raids by 50% since the election and introducing new tough laws to ensure every employer has to conduct full worker eligibility checks, in the Border Security Bill."

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer last night vowed to step up work with European partners to crack down on illegal migrants. Questioned by the Express at the Nato summit in the Netherlands, he said: "I discussed it with the French, the Italians and the Germans when we were in the G7 last week, and I intend to discuss it again whilst we're in the in the margins of the NATO meeting."

A Just Eat spokesperson said: "Just Eat is committed to being a responsible partner and supporting the local communities we operate in. To uphold this commitment, we set clear standards and requirements for those who deliver on our behalf.

"We are continuously strengthening our approach to ensure anyone who delivers through Just Eat's platform has the right to work in the UK."

A spokesman for Deliveroo said: "We have zero tolerance for any misuse of our platform and we will offboard any accounts which fail to meet their legal obligations when working with us.

"We have a dedicated team in place who ensure Deliveroo does not work with riders who don't have the right to work in the UK. We take our responsibility extremely seriously and are consistently strengthening our controls against misuse of our platform, with further measures in development."

An Uber spokesperson said: "All couriers who use the Uber Eats app must undergo checks to ensure they have a legal right to work in the UK.

"Working with the Home Office and the rest of industry, Uber Eats has launched a range of detection tools to crack down on anyone attempting to work illegally on our platform. This includes account-sharing detection technology and daily real-time facial verification checks. We will continue to remove fraudulent accounts and welcome the Government's proposal to extend right to work checks across the economy which will help bring consistency and raise standards."

So far this year 18,400 migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats. Home Office officials are searching for alternative accommodation for the 32,345 asylum seekers in hotel accommodation and are examining derelict tower blocks, old teacher training colleges and unused student accommodation.

But the independent chief inspector of borders and immigration, David Bolt, said yesterday the Government would fail to meet its goal to end the use of hotels before the next election. He told a House of Lords committee: "I don't think it will be achieved, frankly."