Reform UK has announced plans to implement prison sentences for business leaders whose companies hire illegal migrants. Furthermore, the party intends to levy fines against large corporations amounting to 10 percent of their global income. This strategy aims to prevent gig economy and delivery businesses from benefiting from undocumented labor without facing repercussions.
Zia Yusuf, the party’s home affairs spokesperson, argued that these practices prevent young British citizens from accessing entry-level employment and weaken the national economy. If Reform UK wins the next general election, they plan to draft legislation holding chief executives and directors personally and criminally responsible for hiring illegal workers, even if the executives were unaware of the employees’ immigration status. This approach would mirror existing Financial Conduct Authority regulations regarding corporate financial misconduct.
The proposal also includes a dedicated public tip-line for reporting suspected illegal employment or organized crime, with police and trading standards authorities mandated to investigate such reports. Informants whose tips lead to successful convictions would receive a portion of the resulting fines. Yusuf described these measures as the strictest global penalties for illegal employment.
In response, a Home Office source dismissed the proposal as mere posturing, noting that the government is already increasing enforcement. A spokesperson highlighted that current laws already allow for fines of up to £60,000 per worker, license revocation, and prison terms of up to five years. Official figures indicate that since Labour took office, illegal working arrests have risen by 83 percent and enforcement raids by 77 percent.
