Tag: Home Office

The press release issued by the Home Office on 7 March 2023.

Laws include legal duty on the Home Secretary to remove anyone who enters the UK illegally.

Earlier this year the Prime Minister made stopping the boats one of his 5 promises to the British people. The ‘Stop the Boats’ – or Illegal Migration – Bill will fulfil that promise by ending illegal entry as a route to asylum in the UK.

This will remove the incentive for people to risk their lives through these dangerous and unnecessary journeys and pull the rug from under the criminal gangs profiting from this misery once and for all.

People who arrive in the UK illegally will instead be detained and swiftly removed to their home country if safe, or another safe third country, such as Rwanda, where they will be supported to rebuild their lives.

Anyone illegally entering the UK will be prevented from accessing the UK’s world-leading modern slavery support or abusing these laws to block their removal. Any other challenges or human rights claims can also only be heard after removal, remotely.

By ending illegal immigration as a route to asylum, stopping the boats and taking back control of our borders the Bill will ensure the UK can better support people coming through fair, safe and legal routes.

The UK will always be a compassionate country, as demonstrated by the nation opening its hearts and homes to those from fleeing from Afghanistan and Ukraine, and under this Bill, Parliament will set an annual cap on the number of refugees settled via safe and legal routes, taking into account local authority capacity for housing, public services and the support communities rightly expect.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said:

The British people rightly expect us to solve this crisis and that’s what myself and the Prime Minister fully intend to do. We must stop the boats.

It is completely unfair that people who travel through a string of safe countries then come to the UK illegally and abuse our asylum laws to avoid removal.

It has to stop. By bringing in new laws, I am making it absolutely clear that the only route to the UK is a safe and legal route. If you come here illegally, you won’t be able to claim asylum or build a life here.

You will not be allowed to stay. You will be returned home if safe, or to a safe third country like Rwanda. It’s the only way to prevent people risking their lives and paying criminals thousands of pounds to get here.

The Bill, introduced to Parliament today (7 March 2023), will mean anyone who enters the UK illegally and who has passed through a safe country will be legally required to be removed and the Home Secretary will have the power to enforce it.

Migrants may be detained for 28 days with no recourse for bail or judicial review, and then for as long as there is a reasonable prospect of removal.

In exceptional circumstances if there is a risk that someone would suffer a real risk of serious and irreversible harm when they are relocated to that specific safe third country, they would not be removed until it was safe to do so. Even in these cases you will have a maximum 45 days to remain in the UK before your appeal is exhausted.

The annual number settled via safe and legal routes will be kept under review, and if there is a humanitarian crisis within the world that requires a response, then the UK will step up and offer sanctuary to those in need, as we have done for tens of thousands of Ukrainians and Afghans.

The Bill forms part of the action the government is taking to stop small boat crossings and illegal migration as a whole.

This includes:

• an agreement with Albania that recognises their status as a safe country
• a new dedicated unit to speed up the processing of Albanian cases – since the announcement in December we have returned over 3000 illegal migrants, including over 500 Albanians
• ending the legacy backlog of asylum claims by the end of 2023 – we have already doubled decision makers and we will double the number again and we are changing the system to make it more productive
• reducing the use of hotels, with the government currently spending £6.2 million a day, by moving asylum seekers to cheaper alternative accommodation
• established the Small Boats Operational Command in December, enabling us from January to protect the resources of our Immigration Enforcement teams – as a direct result of this change, we have been able to significantly increase the numbers of immigration enforcement visits undertaken, deliver a 50% uplift in enforcement visits per month and have seen a corresponding increase in arrests
• doubling the funding for Operation Invigor, which brings together the NCA, Home Office Intelligence and UK policing to disrupt organised crime groups who are smuggling people from source countries to the beaches of northern France
• our joint work with France saw nearly 33,000 Channel crossings prevented in 2022, compared to just over 23,000 in 2021 – since the UK-France Joint Intelligence Cell (JIC) was established in July 2020, 59 organised criminal groups involved in small boats crossings
• clamping down on people smugglers, with over 350 arrests made since the Nationality and Borders Act became law
• welcoming current collaboration with the French to tackle illegal migration, which includes agreeing further action at the UK/FR Leaders’ Summit

Summary of Bill measures:

• Duty to make arrangements for removal – the Home Secretary will have a legal duty to remove people who have entered the UK illegally.
• Detention and bail – strengthening detention powers so people can only apply for bail from the Courts (First-tier Tribunal) after 28 days (although habeus corpus will remain).
• Unaccompanied children – minors who come to the UK illegally will not be removed to a safe third country until adulthood, except in limited circumstances.
• Entry, citizenship and settlement – people who come to the UK illegally will be prevented from settling in the country and will face a permanent ban from returning.
• Asylum – people who come here illegally will have their asylum claims deemed inadmissible and considered in a safe third country.
• Modern slavery – modern slavery referrals for those who come to the UK illegally will be disqualified under public order grounds under the terms of the international anti-trafficking treaty, ECAT.
• Legal proceedings – limiting the circumstances in which legal challenges will prevent someone from being removed from the UK. Most legal challenges will be considered when someone has been successfully removed from the UK.
• Expanding the list of countries that are considered safe in law – this will make it unquestionably clear when someone doesn’t need our protection because they are obviously not at risk of persecution in their home country.
• Annual number of people using safe and legal routes – committing to resettling a specific number of refugees in the UK every year.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 7 March 2023.

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has announced Civil Service industrial action that will impact Border Force operations.

Border Force strike proposed date and locations

Dates:

• 15 March
• 16 March (until around 7am)

Locations:

The proposed strike action will impact international arrivals at all UK air and maritime ports, as well as those travelling to the UK from UK border controls in Calais, Dunkirk and Coquelles in Northern France.

If you are travelling into the UK, be prepared for disruption and check before you travel.

Our first priority is to keep our borders safe and secure. We will never compromise on this.

Advice for people entering the UK

If you are travelling into the UK during the proposed industrial action, be prepared for longer wait times at UK border control.

All passengers should check the latest advice from their operators before travelling.

Please be patient and respect officers who are working to keep our citizens safe and border secure, and supporting travellers during the strike action.

We encourage passengers who are eligible to use eGates to do so if these are available.

Please respect staff as we try and get you through the border as quickly and safely as possible. All forms of abuse and any inappropriate behaviour will be reported to the police.

Hauliers: impact of strike action

If you are moving goods during the proposed strike action, be prepared for potential disruption and longer queues at ports and inland border facilities.

Please check with your operator before travelling, be prepared for delays and carefully plan your movements if they coincide with days of strike action.

Border wait times

Accurate queue time data can take some time to gather and check. If you are travelling during the proposed strike dates, be prepared for longer wait times.

Several factors can influence wait times, including high passenger numbers, flight delays and flight bunching. Weather delays and other incidents can also impact border control queues.

We advise travellers to check with travel agents, tour operators, and airlines or carriers before travelling, to check if the proposed strike action will affect your journey.

Passengers can also check airport websites before travelling to stay up to date with the latest information related to travel or possible delays caused by strike action.

What we are doing to avoid disruption and queues at the border during the strike action

We continue to work closely with industry to minimise disruption and delays at the border during any industrial action.

Border Force and industry work together very closely at a local and national level to agree plans for pressures while keeping the public safe and ensuring critical goods such as medicines and food can continue to flow across the border.

Military personnel, civil servants and volunteers from across government are being trained to support Border Force at airports and ports across the UK in the event of potential strike action. Border Force are ready to deploy resource to meet critical demand and support the flow of travellers and goods through the border. However, people entering the UK should be prepared for potential disruption.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 2 March 2023.

Arrests made by the Home Office during an intelligence-led, pre-dawn immigration operation.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 1 March 2023.

Ministers have approved a reappointment of a member of the Police Remuneration Review Body and the National Crime Agency Remuneration Review Body.

Ministers have reappointed Mark Hoble to the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) and National Crime Agency Remuneration Review Body (NCARRB). Mark has been reappointed for a second term of three years, from March 2023 to March 2026.

The PRRB makes independent recommendations concerning the pay, allowances and conditions of police officers to the Home Secretary and the Northern Ireland Minister of Justice.

The NCARRB makes independent recommendations to the government on the pay and allowances of NCA officers designated with operational powers.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 28 February 2023.

The Young Professionals Scheme is now open to eligible young Indian and UK professionals.

From today (28 February), young professionals from India and the UK can apply to live, study, travel and work for up to two years in each other’s country, the UK government has announced.

The first of its kind, the reciprocal Young Professionals Scheme is a new opportunity granting Indian and UK nationals a chance to benefit from new cultural experiences and inject expertise into both economies.

Indian nationals eligible for the scheme can now enter a 48 hour ballot free of charge from which 2,400 randomly selected applicants will then be invited to submit their visa applications. Those eligible to apply must be between 18 and 30, be an Indian national and hold a degree. A further ballot will be held later in the year.

Interested eligible British nationals do not need to apply through a ballot process and are welcome to apply to the Young Professionals Scheme at any time.

The UK encourages young professionals from both countries to experience each other’s nations and participate in this cultural exchange.

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said:

The Young Professionals Scheme is a unique opportunity for British and Indian graduates to experience the richness of a new culture and way of life while building their professional experience and expertise. This new scheme illustrates the importance of our relationship with India and will bring great benefits to both countries.

I encourage young professionals from India and the UK who want to share their skills and talents to apply.

The Young Professionals Scheme highlights the strength of the UK-India economic and cultural relationship and is a key part of the UK-India Mobility and Migration Partnership, which was signed in May 2021.

As well as the Young Professionals Scheme, the Partnership includes a range of commitments to enhance arrangements on migration issues such as measures to strengthen our ability to remove immigration offenders and ensure greater co-operation around organised immigration crime.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 20 February 2023.

Tougher management of most dangerous abusers and new protections for victims.

Domestic abusers will face tags and tougher management under new measures to protect women and girls.

The new proposals go further than ever before in protecting women and girls from harassment, aggression and violence, and focus on stopping domestic abuse before it takes place.

The law will be changed so that the most dangerous domestic abusers will be watched more closely. For the first time, controlling or coercive behaviour will be put on a par with physical violence, which will mean offenders sentenced to a year or more imprisonment or a suspended sentence will automatically be actively managed by the police, prison and probation services under multi-agency public protection arrangements. A range of agencies will have a legal duty to cooperate to manage the risks posed by these dangerous offenders. This will make it easier to deliver a joined-up approach to protect the public.

While we are pursuing this legislation, police and the probation service will start work immediately to ensure that from now offenders sentenced to a year or more for controlling and coercive behaviour are recorded on the violent and sex offender register, so that they don’t fall through the cracks.

In addition, abusers could be fitted with a tag, prevented from going within a certain distance of a victim’s home, and made to attend a behaviour change programme, as part of a trial of domestic abuse protection notices and domestic abuse protection orders in three areas in the UK.

Also from today (20 February), those at risk of, or suffering from, domestic abuse will be able to receive emergency help from one of 18 jobcentres and jobs and benefit offices across the UK, and a new postcode checker will tell them their nearest location to access the service.

The Ask for ANI (Action Needed Immediately) scheme is already in operation in over 5,000 pharmacies across the UK in over 88 cities, towns and villages. It is delivered in partnership with Hestia’s Safe Spaces. Anyone who is suffering from or fearful of domestic abuse can ask for ANI, and they will be guided to a safe and private space and offered support to call the police or specialist domestic abuse services.

Since the scheme launched in 2021, the emergency support has been accessed on average once a week.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

No woman or girl should ever have to feel unsafe in her home or community and I am determined to stamp out these appalling crimes.

The Ask for Ani scheme provides a lifeline for anyone suffering from domestic abuse and we will continue to expand the scheme so that more people can access it, including piloting this service in the first jobcentres.

As well as extra support for victims, we’re making it a priority for the police to tackle violence against women and girls and toughening up the way offenders are managed – preventing more of these crimes from happening in the first place, and bringing more perpetrators to justice.

Government will also require police forces to treat violence against women and girls as a national threat, as set out in a new strategic policing requirement published today. This means tackling these crimes will be as important as tackling threats like terrorism, serious and organised crime and child sexual abuse.

On top of this, the National Police Chiefs’ Council is writing to every force in England and Wales to reiterate the expectation that forces must proactively identify the most dangerous domestic abusers in their area to prevent them from committing further crimes. To support this, the Home Office will help develop a new risk assessment tool so that police forces can quickly identify domestic abusers most likely to commit the greatest harm – even where they have no conviction – and stop them in their tracks.

Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, said:

Domestic abuse is a despicable crime that leads to people’s closest relationships becoming a frightening existence of torment, pain, fear, and anxiety.

It is completely unacceptable and as Home Secretary I will do everything in my power to stop it.

The wide-ranging measures announced today will mean the most dangerous offenders will be watched more closely and added to the violent and sex offender register.

Also, police forces in England and Wales will now have to treat violence against women and girls as a national threat and more victims will be protected from harm.

The full set of measures being set out today include:

1. Tougher management of the most dangerous offenders: The government will change the law to ensure that offenders with a conviction of controlling or coercive behaviour who are sentenced to 12 months or more imprisonment or a suspended sentence are automatically eligible to be managed by the police, prison and probation services under multi-agency public protection arrangements. This means agencies will have a legal duty to cooperate to manage the risks posed by these dangerous domestic abuse offenders. These offenders will also be added to the violent and sex offender register going forward.

2. Piloting new civil orders: The Home Office and Ministry of Justice will pilot the new domestic abuse protection notices and orders in Gwent, Greater Manchester, and three London boroughs (Croydon, Bromley and Sutton), with the Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police, and other criminal justice partners. The new cross-jurisdictional order will provide flexible, longer-term protection for victims. The court will be able to impose requirements such as attendance on perpetrator behaviour change programmes, alongside electronic monitoring and making it mandatory for offenders to notify the police of name and address changes. Breach of any requirement will be a criminal offence.

3. Ask for ANI codeword scheme pilot: Building on the success of the scheme in pharmacies across the UK, domestic abuse victims will be able to ‘Ask for ANI’ in 18 jobcentre and jobs and benefit offices through a pilot launching today across the UK, and receive support from a trained staff member who will guide them to a safe and private space, where they can help a victim call the police or support services. A new postcode checker has also been launched today to enable anyone to find their nearest participating pharmacy, jobcentre or jobs and benefits office.

4. Adding violence against women and girls to the strategic policing requirement: The Home Secretary has published the new strategic policing requirement, which for the first time categorises violence against women and girls as a national threat and sets clear expectations about how this threat should be tackled by police forces.

5. Identifying dangerous perpetrators before conviction: The government will develop a new digital tool which will use police data to identify individuals who are high risk and likely to commit domestic abuse offences. The tool will also include perpetrators without conviction – in the year ending March 2022 there were 910,980 domestic abuse-related crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales, compared to 40,647 convictions.

6. Strengthening Clare’s Law: We have published new guidance which reduces the timeframes for police to disclose information about an individual’s violent or abusive behaviour, through the scheme known as ‘Clare’s Law’, meaning it will be quicker to access information on a partner’s or ex-partner’s previous abusive or violent offending. The guidance will be placed on a statutory footing next month (March 2023).

7. Funding specialist victim support programmes: Up to £8.4 million will be allocated over two years to fund projects run by specialist organisations to provide tailored, trauma-informed support from 1 April 2023.

8. Investing in perpetrator interventions: police and crime commissioners (PCCs) will be granted up to £36 million over the next two years for tackling perpetrators through interventions which directly address abusers’ behaviour, bringing total funding for these projects to more than £70 million since 2020.

In April 2021, the landmark Domestic Abuse Act updated the definition of domestic abuse, recognising it refers to a range of abusive behaviour – physical, sexual, violent or threatening, psychological, emotional and coercive or controlling acts are now recognised as criminal abuse.

For the first time, the Act recognised children as victims, and economic abuse as a form of domestic abuse. It established a statutory duty on local authorities relating to the provision of support to victims and survivors and their children within safe accommodation which was supported by £125 million worth of funding, and created new offences of non-fatal strangulation and threats to disclose intimate images.

Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) remains one of the government’s top priorities and we are doing everything possible to make our streets safer for women and girls.  Through our tackling VAWG strategy, we are prioritising prevention, supporting survivors, and strengthening the pursuit of perpetrators.

This includes measures in the Online Safety Bill to strengthen the law around the sending and sharing of intimate images without consent, and committing to introduce a package of new offences when Parliamentary time allows that tackle the taking and sharing of these vile images – which will include ‘downblousing’.

The government is also supporting the Protection from Sex Based Harassment in Public Bill, which introduces harsher sentences if someone who deliberately harasses, alarms, or distresses someone in a public place does so because of the victim’s sex, with the maximum sentence increasing from six months to two years.

Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Dominic Raab said:

Domestic abuse is an abhorrent crime which can make people’s lives a living hell and we will do whatever we can to bring these offenders to justice.

This new plan will crack down on those carrying out this abuse with tougher monitoring of offenders, including electronic tagging, while investing millions more in specialist support services for the most vulnerable.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mel Stride said:

As safe spaces with strong links to the wider community, DWP jobcentres are uniquely placed to help vulnerable people access help on a local or national level.

Ask for ANI provides victims with a discreet route to get urgent help and is an important part of the extensive support offer already in place nationally across our network.

National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Domestic Abuse, Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe, said:

Policing is committed to protecting victims of domestic abuse and bringing perpetrators to justice.  We welcome the raft of measures aimed at tackling domestic abuse in many forms.

Adding violence against women and girls to the strategic policing requirement, puts it on the same level of priority at terrorism and child abuse, where we believe it belongs. All forces are already prioritising VAWG and we welcome this prioritisation from the government.

Domestic abuse is a complex and entrenched societal problem and requires a multi-agency approach. Providing support for victims and their families and to introduce effective and sustainable solutions for perpetrators is vital.

We will work together with the Home Office to ensure the measures announced today can aid policing and the criminal justice system in their fight to tackle domestic abuse.

Caroline Bernard, Head of Influence at Respect, said:

Respect welcomes these additional measures to respond to perpetrators of violence against women and girls, including domestic abuse. They echo our calls to address the root cause, as well as the consequences of violence and abuse.

In particular, we are pleased to see that violence against women and girls will be added to the strategic policing requirement. Implemented effectively and resourced appropriately, this could have a major impact on the policing response to perpetrators of VAWG.

We look forward to working with government to ensure that these additional measures are delivered successfully alongside the tackling domestic abuse plan, so that survivors of domestic abuse can be safe and free from harm.

Today’s announcements sit alongside wider work the government is doing to tackle domestic abuse. Since the publication of the tackling domestic abuse plan the government has:

• doubled funding for the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, which sees on average 15,000 users every three months, and an uplift for all other national tackling VAWG helplines, to a combined total of over £2 million a year
• launched a new communications campaign, ‘Enough’ to change societal attitudes towards domestic abuse and violence against women and girls, taking long term actions to prevent violence and encourage bystander intervention. The campaign includes online information at enough.campaign.gov.uk, television adverts, billboard signs, social media posts and radio advertisements highlighting the different actions we can all take to challenge perpetrators of abuse
• committed over £79 million since 2020 for domestic abuse perpetrator interventions and research which includes up to £36 million over the next two years for interventions which is the first time we are providing multi-year funding to tackle perpetrators
• introduced new measures in our Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, which will give victims of domestic abuse longer to report offences to the police so that abusers cannot evade justice
• as part of quadrupling funding for victim and witness support services by 2024/25, up from £41m in 2009/10, we have also committed increase the number of independent sexual and domestic abuse advisors by 300 to over 1,000 – a 43% increase over the next three years

The press release issued by the Home Office on 10 February 2023.

Members of an organised crime group which smuggled more than a dozen Middle Eastern nationals into the UK have been jailed for a combined 26 years.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 8 February 2023.

The Home Secretary has committed to delivering wholesale and rapid change across Prevent following a major independent review into the programme.

• Independent Review of Prevent paves the way for a stronger, more transparent, and proportionate approach to stopping people from being radicalised into terrorism.
• Islamist terrorism remains the primary terrorist threat to the UK. Prevent’s activity will be proportionately directed to confront this, whilst remaining vigilant against all other threats including the extreme right.
• Prevent will recalibrate its focus towards tackling the ideological drivers of radicalisation over wider issues, including mental health.

The Home Secretary has committed to delivering wholesale and rapid change across Prevent following a major independent review into the programme.

The Home Secretary will deliver on all 34 recommendations made by William Shawcross, who led the Independent Review of Prevent, ensuring a robust and proportionate focus on radicalising influences rather than wider issues such as mental health.

Published today (8 February) alongside the government response, the review makes clear that the threat from terrorism is becoming more complex, with the extreme right becoming an increasing concern, but Islamist terrorism remains our primary and deadliest threat.

The independent review highlights several areas where serious reform is required to ensure it is able to effectively identify and respond to the Islamist threat.

The independent review recognises the need for Prevent to better understand ideology and the individual agency of people who willingly support terrorism. The government’s response will ensure that, in the face of an enduring terrorist threat to the UK, Prevent can adequately address the dangerous ideologies which underpin it.

Prevent will focus its activity where it will have the most impact, while remaining flexible enough to respond to evolving threats and all radicalisation risks. Greater emphasis will be placed on tackling Islamist ideology, which underpins the primary terror threat to the UK.

Prevent is delivered by a multi-layered network of dedicated professionals who play a fundamental role in tackling radicalisation up and down the country. This network’s understanding of ideology will be strengthened through our expanded training programme, which aims to drive up standards and speed up referrals.

Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, said:

I am grateful to William Shawcross and welcome his independent review.

Prevent will now ensure it focuses on the key threat of Islamist terrorism. As part of this more proportionate approach, we will also remain vigilant on emerging threats, including on the extreme right.

This independent review has identified areas where real reform is required. This includes a need for Prevent to better understand Islamist ideology, which underpins the predominant terrorist threat facing the UK.

I wholeheartedly accept all 34 recommendations and am committed to quickly delivering wholesale change to ensure we are taking every possible step to protect our country from the threat posed by terrorism.

Security Minister, Tom Tugendhat, said:

This government will always protect the British people – whether from the threat posed by terrorism, or from the hateful ideologies that underpin it.

This review strengthens and bolsters the Prevent programme. I am determined to deliver the improvements needed to accelerate our fight against radicalisation.

Ultimately, every community in our country deserves protection from threat of radicalisation and the violence that it brings.

To address the disparate terrorist threat, Prevent will move from a local model of delivery to a regional one, driving up Prevent delivery standards nationwide through increased join up between the police and regional partners.

Prevent duty guidance will be updated to ensure a consistent referral process across national and local delivery, and those sectors under the duty. Further work is already underway to consider extending the Prevent duty, to broaden the touch points in place for frontline professionals to identify and refer relevant concerns to Prevent.

All local authorities in England and Wales will have access to expert Prevent support from the Home Office, enabling resource to be surged into areas to meet radicalisation risks.

Prevent will overhaul its training and guidance for all staff, and introduce a security threat check, to ensure all decision-making is aligned with the current threat.

It will ensure a greater understanding of antisemitism in Channel cases and ensure more effective disruption of extremists targeting Jewish communities.

Prevent will work closely with DLUHC and the Commission for Countering Extremism to develop new training to ensure better understanding of ideology across Prevent teams. It will also review its wider training to ensure it aligns with the findings of the independent review.

Work to implement the recommendations of the review has already started, and the majority of recommendations are expected to be actioned within 12 months. The Home Office has committed to report on implementation of the recommendations a year from now.

The Home Office will create an independent standards and compliance unit to provide a clear and accessible route for the public and practitioners to raise concerns about Prevent activity where it may have fallen short of its standards. The Home Office will also refresh the Ministerial Prevent Oversight Board to ensure recommendations are implemented swiftly and effectively.

Prevent has already changed and saved the lives of individuals from all walks of life, with over 3,800 people offered early interventions through the Channel programme. The review will act as a blueprint for strengthening this response.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 7 February 2023.

Lady Elish Angiolini to examine David Carrick case as part of the ongoing Angiolini Inquiry.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 6 February 2023.

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has announced Civil Service industrial action that will impact Border Force operations.