Department for Business and TradeUK Politics

Why the UK Migrant Delivery Crackdown Will Fail Without Tougher Rules

On 22 July 2025, the UK government unveiled a bold new initiative to curb illegal migrant workers in the gig economy, targeting food delivery platforms like Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats. The Home Office’s plan hinges on sharing asylum-hotel locations with these companies to flag suspicious accounts and halt illegal work. As a delivery driver with firsthand experience in the industry, I can say with confidence: this crackdown, while well-intentioned, is riddled with loopholes that undermine its effectiveness. Without stricter regulations and robust enforcement, it’s destined to fall short.

🇬🇧 What’s in the Home Office’s Plan?

The Home Office’s strategy, announced on 22 July 2025, involves sharing the locations of asylum hotels with major delivery platforms. The goal is to identify accounts frequently active in these “hotspots”—areas where illegal workers, often asylum seekers, are presumed to operate using shared or rented accounts. Once flagged, these accounts face suspension to deter illegal working. The initiative is part of a broader “nationwide blitz” on illegal employment, with the Home Office reporting a 50% increase in raids and an 80% rise in civil penalties this year alone. (Gov.uk, The Guardian)

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper:
“Illegal working undermines honest businesses, exploits vulnerable people, and fuels organised immigration crime. By enhancing data sharing with delivery companies, we are taking decisive action to close loopholes and strengthen enforcement.” (Gov.uk)

Eddy Montgomery, Director of Enforcement (Home Office):
“This coordinated partnership with delivery firms will help us target those exploiting their status to work illegally in the gig economy.” (The National News)

The plan also includes increased collaboration with platforms to improve identity verification processes. However, as someone who’s seen how the delivery industry operates, I can attest that this approach barely scratches the surface of the problem.

Why the Crackdown Is Set to Fail

The gig economy, particularly food delivery, is a complex ecosystem where loopholes thrive. Here’s why the Home Office’s plan is unlikely to deliver meaningful results:

  • Account lending is a widespread issue. Illegal workers frequently use “rented” accounts, where the registered account holder logs in (passing initial facial recognition checks) and then hands over the account to an unauthorised user for the day. Platforms rarely require re-verification during shifts, allowing this practice to flourish unchecked.
  • Hotspot tracking is easily circumvented. Workers can simply log in from locations outside asylum-hotel areas, rendering the Home Office’s location-based strategy ineffective. Many illegal workers are already savvy enough to avoid detection by operating in adjacent areas.
  • Inadequate facial recognition enforcement. Current verification systems rely heavily on one-time checks during account setup or daily logins. There’s little to no enforcement of real-time identity checks during deliveries, leaving the door wide open for account sharing.
  • Economic incentives fuel the problem. Illegal workers often accept jobs for as little as £3 per delivery, far below what legal workers, burdened by fuel, maintenance, and tax costs, can afford. This creates a cheap labour pool that benefits platforms, reducing their incentive to crack down.

These gaps highlight a critical flaw: the plan assumes platforms will proactively police their systems, but the reality on the ground tells a different story.

A Smarter Solution the Government Overlooked

To effectively tackle illegal working in the gig economy, the government and delivery platforms must adopt more robust, technology-driven measures. Here are practical solutions that could close the loopholes:

  • 📸 Mandatory facial recognition at every pickup. Require drivers to verify their identity via live face scans at each restaurant or pickup point. This would ensure the person delivering matches the registered account holder, making account lending nearly impossible.
  • 🔒 Re-verification at every login/logout. Implement mandatory re-scans whenever a driver logs off and back on, preventing accounts from being shared across multiple users in a single day.
  • 📍 Geolocation monitoring with accountability. Platforms should track driver locations continuously and flag suspicious patterns, such as accounts operating far from their registered addresses or toggling between multiple devices.

These measures, while requiring investment in technology and compliance, would significantly reduce the ability of illegal workers to exploit the system. They also place the burden on platforms to enforce compliance, rather than relying on government data alone.

Do Delivery Platforms Have the Will to Act?

A critical question looms: do companies like Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats genuinely want to solve this problem? The gig economy thrives on flexibility and low costs, and illegal workers—willing to accept rock-bottom pay—help keep delivery fees competitive. Legal drivers, who must cover vehicle maintenance, fuel, insurance, and taxes, often demand higher pay, which cuts into platform profits. This dynamic creates a perverse incentive for companies to turn a blind eye to illegal working unless forced to act.

Without external pressure, platforms are unlikely to invest in costly verification systems or risk alienating their low-cost labour pool. The Home Office’s partnership assumes goodwill, but history shows that profit-driven companies prioritise compliance only when faced with significant consequences.

The Path Forward: Heavy Fines and Stronger Laws

To make the crackdown effective, the government must go beyond data-sharing and voluntary cooperation. Here’s what’s needed:

  • 💷 Substantial fines per illegal job. Impose hefty penalties on platforms for each instance of illegal work facilitated through their systems. Fines must be significant enough to outweigh the financial benefits of cheap labour.
  • 🔍 Mandatory compliance audits. Require platforms to submit regular reports demonstrating the implementation of daily face-checks and other verification measures, with independent audits to ensure accountability.
  • ⚖️ Clear legislation on account sharing. Introduce laws that explicitly criminalise account lending and hold both account holders and illegal workers accountable. This would deter the practice and give platforms legal backing to enforce stricter controls.
  • 📈 Minimum pay standards. Address the economic root of the issue by setting minimum delivery fees that account for drivers’ costs, reducing the incentive for platforms to rely on underpaid illegal workers.

These steps would shift the burden onto platforms to act responsibly, aligning their incentives with the government’s goal of curbing illegal work.

The Bigger Picture: Exploitation and Fairness

Beyond enforcement, the crackdown raises broader questions about fairness in the gig economy. Illegal workers, often vulnerable and desperate, are exploited by a system that allows them to work for poverty wages. Meanwhile, legal drivers struggle to earn a living wage due to downward pressure on fees. The Home Office’s plan addresses only the symptom—illegal work—without tackling the root causes: lax platform oversight, inadequate pay structures, and a lack of accountability.

A successful crackdown must balance enforcement with fairness, ensuring that legal workers are not undercut by exploitative practices and that vulnerable migrants are not driven into the hands of organised crime networks. Stronger regulations, paired with economic reforms, could create a gig economy that works for everyone.

What Do You Think?

The UK’s migrant delivery driver crackdown is a step in the right direction, but its flaws are glaring. Without closing loopholes, imposing real penalties, and addressing economic incentives, illegal working will persist. Should delivery platforms face tougher consequences for failing to act? Should the government do more to protect legal workers and vulnerable migrants alike? Share your thoughts below—we’d love to hear your perspective.

Source
Home OfficeBBCThe GuardianThe National NewsEvening StandardGB News

Wayne Lewis

I’m proud to call Stourbridge my home and love my town and country. However, I’m concerned about the direction of our nation under the main political parties. That’s why I support the Reform UK Party and its leader, Nigel Farage, who I believe can restore Great Britain’s greatness.I aim to serve Stourbridge as a councillor, tackling anti-social crime, motorbike theft, and supporting local businesses. My ultimate goal is to represent Stourbridge as an MP, driving meaningful change.

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