Tag: Home Office

The press release issued by the Home Office on 11 May 2025.

Britain’s failed immigration system will be radically reformed so the system is controlled, managed and fair under a landmark White Paper to be published tomorrow (Monday 12 May).

The government inherited a chaotic immigration system that saw net migration soar to record levels – driven by a huge increase in overseas recruitment since 2020.

The government is now delivering on the priorities of working people to bring down numbers, restore control of Britain’s borders and make the system work for the economy.

The Immigration White Paper will deliver on its manifesto pledge to cut migration by training domestic workers, raising the bar on who can come to the UK and ending reliance on overseas labour.

It will establish tough new controls to restore order to a failed system that saw net migration almost quadruple to one million between 2019 and 2023.

New measures mean skills thresholds for work visas will be returned to degree level – reversing a system that saw the proportion of lower-skilled visas issued increase between 2021 and 2024.

Meanwhile the government will end the chronic underinvestment in domestic skills that has hindered economic growth.

We will support businesses to take on British workers through new industry workforce strategies, while introducing much tighter restrictions on recruitment for shortage occupations.

Employers will first need to develop domestic training plans to boost British skills and recruitment levels – increasing productivity and living standards for working people in the UK.

So migration works for the whole UK, the country will remain open to the best of international talent – enhancing economic growth – while ensuring skilled work for migration purposes must truly mean skilled work.

The announcement follows major steps the government has already taken to crackdown on those exploiting the system and restoring order to the immigration system – ramping up removals to return 24,000 people with no right to be here since July 2024, the highest rate in eight years.

But this government is going further. The White Paper establishes whole new approaches to migration across a range of areas – including work, study and family life – based on the principles of control, contribution and community cohesion.

It delivers on the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change to reduce the staggeringly high levels of immigration and replace Britain’s failing approach with a new plan that supports national security, economic renewal and restoring the confidence of the public.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

Migration must be properly controlled and managed so the system is fair. Instead, we’ve seen net migration quadruple in the space of just four years, driven especially by overseas recruitment.

We inherited a failed immigration system where the previous government replaced free movement with a free market experiment.

Employers were given much greater freedom to recruit from abroad while action on training fell.

Overseas recruitment soared at the same time as big increases in the number of people not working or in education here in the UK.

The last government lost control of the immigration system and there was no proper plan to tackle skills shortages here at home.

This has undermined public confidence, distorted our labour market, and been really damaging for both our immigration system and our economy.

Under our Plan for Change, we are taking decisive action to restore control and order to the immigration system, raise domestic training and skills, and bring down net migration while promoting economic growth.”

Measures to be set out tomorrow include:

• Raising the skilled visa threshold to RQF6 (graduate level) to reduce increasing numbers of lower-skilled workers coming to the UK – with salary thresholds reflecting the higher skill level.
• For occupations below this level, access to the immigration system will be strictly time-limited, granted only on the basis of strong evidence of shortages which are critical to the industrial strategy and where workforce strategies are drawn up so employers also commit to increasing domestic skills and recruitment.
• Establishing the Labour Market Evidence Group (LMEG) to inform understanding of where sectors are overly reliant on overseas labour and reverse underinvestment in domestic skills.

For the first time it means that there will be a national approach to ensuring that action on skills, employer strategies and increasing UK workforce participation are the first response to labour market shortages rather than employers simply turning to immigration to fill gaps.

Notes to editors

• The Labour Market Evidence Group (LMEG) will be made up of the Industrial Strategy Council, Department of Work and Pensions, skills bodies and the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) and make recommendations on where workforce strategies are needed.
• These reforms are just part of government action to restore order, control and fairness to the system, and the full Immigration White Paper will be published in Parliament tomorrow.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 7 May 2025.

Police officers to no longer be able to escape the sack for gross misconduct as major government reforms to boost standards in policing continue.

Police officers found guilty of gross misconduct will no longer be able to escape dismissal under new rules that will help to root out rogue individuals and drive up standards.

The new rules, being laid in parliament today and due to come into effect at the end of the month, will strengthen the ability of police chiefs to clean out their forces of officers unfit to serve by setting clear expectations about what should happen to those guilty of the most serious behaviour.

Whilst many officers who are found guilty of gross misconduct do get sacked, with over 500 officers dismissed – or “would have been dismissed” if they hadn’t already left the service – last year, there currently is no guarantee that gross misconduct will lead to dismissal.

In some cases, officers remain in post, with 56 officers remaining in policing last year despite being guilty of gross misconduct.

Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said:

We place a huge amount of faith and trust in the police officers we see in our communities, and it is vital that only those fit to wear the uniform are serving the public.

We cannot let the majority of officers, who are brave and committed to keeping us safe, be tarnished by the few who commit serious criminality or gross misconduct. They, and the public, deserve certainty that those who are unfit to serve will be dismissed.

With our Plan for Change, we are sending the clear message that no matter where you are in the country, the officers serving on our streets are only of the highest standards.

Under the new rules, which will come into force from 28 May, a presumption of dismissal will be created for proven gross misconduct, which means there will be a clear expectation that officers will be sacked unless there are exceptional circumstances.

These new rules will provide clarity and certainty to the public and officers that gross misconduct has no place in policing, and form part of a series of government reforms to boost public confidence in policing as part of its Safer Streets Mission and Plan for Change. It builds on a new process to sack officers who fail background checks that was announced last month, with holding vetting becoming a legal requirement.

Head of External Affairs at Women’s Aid, Isabelle Younane, said:

Women’s Aid welcomes reforms to policing announced today by the Home Office, which will help ensure that forces are able to remove dangerous perpetrators from their ranks more swiftly.

It is essential that women are able to trust that when they are bravely reporting their experiences of abuse to the police, they aren’t speaking to an officer who has been accused of violence against women and girls (VAWG) related misconduct themselves.

These reforms, alongside those announced previously, are positive first steps to improving women’s trust in the police. We continue to urge for further action to ensure that no individuals with the misogynistic attitudes and beliefs that underpin VAWG are eligible to join.

Victims’ Commissioner Baroness Newlove said:

Today’s changes are a welcome and necessary step toward restoring public trust – and reaffirming the values policing must uphold. Too often and for far too long, red flags have been missed, minimised or ignored.

While only one piece of the puzzle, I hope these measures will help to kick urgently needed cultural change into gear, ensuring only those worthy of the badge are allowed to serve.

The new legislation being laid today will also create a presumption of accelerated hearings for former officers, ensuring swifter proceedings for those who resign or retire before they face a misconduct hearing. Former officers who would have been dismissed had they still been serving will continue to be barred from future service.

Unsatisfactory performance procedures are also being streamlined so that underperforming officers are taken through the process more quickly.

Serious criminal offences will also automatically amount to gross misconduct under these new measures. Whilst ‘indictable only’ criminal offences like rape and grievous bodily harm often lead to misconduct proceedings, this is not currently defined in law, and the government is therefore making it more straightforward for forces to deal with these cases quickly.

As part of the government’s reform agenda, further measures will be brought in later this year to strengthen national vetting standards and ensure every force follows them, as well as introduce stronger requirements to suspend officers under investigation for violence against women and girls.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 28 April 2025.

Foreign nationals who commit sex offences will be excluded from asylum protections in the UK as part of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill.

Tougher border security measures will keep British streets safer, with foreign sex offenders to be excluded from refugee protections as the government announces new measures to slash the asylum backlog and strengthen border security through the Plan for Change.

At present, the Refugee Convention entitles countries to refuse asylum to terrorists, war criminals and individuals convicted of a ‘particularly serious crime’ who present a danger to the community – defined in the UK as an offence carrying a sentence of 12 months or more.

For the first time, any conviction of a crime that qualifies a foreign national for the sex offenders register will lead to them being denied refugee status, toughening our approach to border security through stricter enforcement of the rules.

The law change, which will be introduced through a new amendment to the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, also marks a further step in the government’s landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, making Britain’s streets safer and sending a clear message that sexual offences will be treated with the seriousness they deserve.

The new law comes alongside stronger measures to cut the asylum backlog and save taxpayer money, by giving the tribunals a new target to reduce the time they take to consider appeals from asylum seekers in accommodation, as well as rolling out artificial intelligence (AI) across asylum processing to speed up decision making.

Under the new measures, the first-tier Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber will have a new 24-week target to decide appeals brought by those receiving accommodation support, or who are foreign offenders. This will help stop lengthy legal battles, moving failed asylum seekers out of hotels faster and removing those with no right to be in the country.

The bill will also introduce tougher measures to weed out people who pose as immigration lawyers or advisers, by offering ‘advice’ to migrants on how to claim asylum in the UK and lodge fraudulent claims. The Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) will get expanded powers to hit these crooks with fines of up to £15,000.

Major progress has already been made in fixing the foundations of the asylum system under the new government, with the return of more than 24,000 people with no right to be in the UK in the first 9 months after the election, including a 16% increase in removals of foreign criminals, and asylum decision-making up 52% in the last 3 months of 2024.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

We are restoring order to a broken asylum system that has been mired in delay and dysfunction for far too long, and we are strengthening our system to make sure that the rules are respected and enforced.

Sex offenders who pose a risk to the community should not be allowed to benefit from refugee protections in the UK. We are strengthening the law to ensure these appalling crimes are taken seriously.

Nor should asylum seekers be stuck in hotels at the taxpayers’ expense during lengthy legal battles. That is why we are changing the law to help clear the backlog, end the use of asylum hotels and save billions of pounds for the taxpayer.

This is part of our Plan for Change to strengthen our borders, make our streets safer and restore order to the broken system the last government left behind.

Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls Minister Jess Philips said:

We are determined to achieve our mission of halving violence against women and girls in a decade.

That’s exactly why we are taking action to ensure there are robust safeguards across the system, including by clamping down on foreign criminals who commit heinous crimes like sex offences.

It is right we ensure that convicted, registered sex offenders are not entitled to refugee status, as part of our work to see these awful crimes treated with the seriousness they deserve and perpetrators held to account.

Alongside these measures, AI will be deployed to support caseworkers to make swifter decisions on asylum claims – preventing asylum seekers from being stuck in limbo at the taxpayers’ expense, delivering quicker answers to those in need and removal of those with no right to be here.

Caseworkers will use AI to speed up access to the relevant country advice, and summarise lengthy interview transcripts, streamlining asylum processing without compromising on the quality of human decisions. The tech could save decision makers up to an hour per case.

As announced last month, alongside these critical measures to reform the asylum system, the government will also table an amendment to the bill which requires companies hiring people in the gig economy to carry out checks confirming that anyone working in their name is eligible to work in the UK, bringing them in line with other employers.

These vital checks confirm someone’s immigration status and allow them to legally work in the UK, meaning that for the very first time, employment checks will be extended to cover businesses hiring gig economy and zero-hours workers in sectors like construction, food delivery, beauty salons and courier services.

In addition to these measures, the landmark Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill will empower law enforcement to intervene faster and more effectively, using counterterror-style powers to disrupt the people-smuggling gangs and placing restrictions on foreign offenders living in the community, including mandatory electronic tags, strict night-time curfews and enforced exclusion zones while awaiting removal.

Further background

The measures are to be tabled ahead of report stage of the landmark Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill in the House of Commons.

Foreign sex offenders

Under the UK Borders Act 2007, a deportation order must be made where a foreign national has been convicted of an offence and received a custodial sentence of at least 12 months. This is subject to several exceptions, including where it would breach UK’s obligations under the Refugee Convention.

However, the Refugee Convention allows protection to be denied to those who, having been convicted of a ‘particularly serious crime’, constitute a danger to the community in the UK. The proposed amendment will create a presumption that individuals convicted of sexual offences making them subject to notification requirements will be denied this protection. This does not alter the long-standing principle that all claims must be considered on a case-by-case basis, to ensure they meet the criteria regarding the seriousness of the crime, and the danger posed to the community

Supported accommodation and foreign national offender appeals

Under the new proposals, the first-tier Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber will be required to determine an asylum appeal lodged by a person receiving accommodation support, or from a non-detained foreign national offender within 24 weeks where it is reasonably practicable to do so. The latest published statistics show appeals to the tribunal take on average nearly 50 weeks to process.

Currently, there is no set timeframe for the courts to consider these cases. Speeding up these appeals will help keep people moving through the asylum system rather than get stuck in accommodation at a cost to the taxpayer and speed up foreign offender deportations. This will assist with ending the use of hotels as asylum accommodation and facilitate swifter deportations.

Just last month (March 2025), the government also announced more funding to boost the number of days the first-tier and upper-tier tribunals (of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber) can sit at near maximum capacity, helping to speed up decision-making and keep the system moving.

Immigration advice

Providing immigration advice without being registered with the IAA or a recognised legal regulatory body is a criminal offence which can lead to jail time, and the new amendments to the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill will give the IAA stronger powers to pursue those who breach those rules.

The IAA is the only regulatory watchdog that can investigate and prosecute those pretending to be immigration lawyers or qualified advisers without any authority to do so. These sham lawyers could be acting as middlemen for those trying to abuse the immigration system in a bid to stay in the UK or trying to cash in on people’s desperation providing poor quality or outright fraudulent immigration advice.

Illegal working

The government previously announced it will strengthen illegal working checks in a new amendment as set out on GOV.UK.

On wider government AI work

This new tool follows the Prime Minister setting out that he will ‘push forward with the digitisation of government services’ to find £45 billion worth of productivity savings, as the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology sets out how it will put AI and technology to work across public services.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 27 April 2025.

The list of local authorities Serco shared on its website for landlords is not a Home Office list and is not a list of existing or future asylum accommodation.

A Home Office spokesperson said:

The list of local authorities Serco shared on its website for landlords is not a Home Office list, nor is it a list of any existing or future asylum accommodation.

Serco is one of several companies contracted by the previous government 6 years ago to provide dispersal asylum accommodation in different regions and this list simply appears to reflect the geographical list of local authorities covered by the Serco contracts at that time.

We are restoring order to the asylum system and cutting costs to taxpayers by reducing the number of people we are required to accommodate through a rapid increase in asylum decision-making and the removal of more than 24,000 people with no right to be in the UK.

Background information:

• we have no role in Serco communications and understand the page has now been removed
• the Home Office has a statutory obligation under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 to ensure asylum seekers are not left destitute while their claims are processed

The press release issued by the Home Office on 27 April 2025.

People illegally posing as immigration lawyers and advisers will face fines of up to £15,000 through new measures in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill.

Fake immigration lawyers offering rogue ‘advice’ to migrants on how to lodge fraudulent asylum claims will be weeded out through tough new powers in the government’s milestone Border Security, Asylum, and Immigration Bill.

Currently, giving immigration advice without proper registration with the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA), or recognised legal regulatory body, is a criminal offence which can lead to jail time, but the IAA will be given new powers to also hit these fraudulent firms and individuals posing as immigration advisers with fines of up to £15,000.

Growing evidence has shown how these fake lawyers are acting as middlemen for those trying to abuse the immigration system in a bid to stay in the UK, or trying to cash in on people’s desperation, providing poor quality or outright fraudulent immigration advice.

The new laws will also close a loophole that allows someone currently banned from giving immigration advice to continue giving advice under “supervision” – ensuring people banned from providing immigration advice cannot set up shop elsewhere.

The crackdown on fake immigration advisers is part of this government’s action to create an asylum system where the rules are respected and strictly enforced. It builds on a surge in illegal working enforcement activity and targets those exploiting vulnerable migrants who undermine the security of our immigration system.

These changes will be tabled as amendments to the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which will tackle criminality across the spectrum by empowering law enforcement with counter-terror style powers to go after vile people smuggling gangs who continue to put lives at risk for cash.

Minister for Border Security, Dame Angela Eagle, said:

Shameless individuals offering immigration advice completely illegally must be held to account.

That is why we are introducing these tough financial penalties for rogue firms and advisers, better protecting the integrity of our immigration system as well as vulnerable people in genuine need of advice, as we restore order to our asylum system through the Plan for Change.

This will build on the vital work of the Immigration Advice Authority in regulating the immigration advice sector.

These fake lawyers and advisers are finding new ways to target victims. The IAA has found cases where individuals are using social media to trick people. For example, a case in October 2024 saw Sukhwinder Singh Kang sentenced at Southwark Crown Court after posing as a registered Level 3 immigration adviser with fake qualifications.

Kang targeted people using Facebook support groups for migration advice, despite having little to no immigration knowledge. He claimed he could sort visa applications with his ‘special access’ to the Home Office, scamming his victims out of thousands of pounds in advance fees and taking personal identity documents. Kang even went so far as to set up weekly payments, make up fictional staff that were supposedly handling these applications and give out a fake professional premises address.

When each of the victims realised that their applications were going nowhere, Kang gave a range of excuses from family emergencies to delivery issues and offered full refunds that never arrived.

The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill will give the IAA brand new powers to hold their registered advisers and organisations to account.

Similar to legal regulators, the watchdog will be able to immediately suspend advisers suspected of carrying out the most flagrant abuse of the immigration system or harming vulnerable people seeking advice. These faster and earlier interventions aim to stop rogue advisers in their tracks.

The IAA will also be able to compel former advisers to take part in complaint investigations about their past conduct if they are no longer registered. This move will prevent rogue operators from attempting to avoid investigation through simply leaving their role.

These powers will bolster work already taking place by the Home Office’s expert Professional Enabler Disruptions team (PED) which helps root out this sort of criminality. For example, in November 2024, the team uncovered a London-based rogue lawyer was directly submitting hundreds of immigration applications with zero knowledge of the law firm that was meant to be ‘supervising’ them. These applications were bound to fail, wasting caseworkers’ time, and impacting people’s legitimate applications. Thanks to PED’s work, legal regulatory bodies have now launched an investigation.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 25 April 2025.

43 failed asylum seekers and foreign offenders were returned on a charter flight to Nigeria and Ghana, as the government steps up international collaboration to secure our borders.

The flight underscores the government’s progress restoring order to the immigration system through the Plan for Change, ensuring rules are respected and those who break them are swiftly returned.

Those removed had no right to be in the UK and included 15 failed asylum seekers and 11 foreign national offenders who had served their sentences. 7 people returned voluntarily.

Since the election, two charter flights have taken off to the countries, carrying a total of 87 people and demonstrating the strength of cooperation between the UK, Nigeria and Ghana on this critical issue.

Under this government, over 24,000 people have been returned, an 11% increase on the same period 12 months prior, while four of the largest returns flights ever have taken off returning migrants to countries across Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.

Deportations of foreign national offenders are also up 16% since the election, with 3,594 criminals removed.

Immigration Enforcement ensure that returns are carried out in a dignified and respectful manner.

Minister for Border Security and Asylum Angela Eagle said:

This flight demonstrates how international partnerships deliver on working people’s priorities for swift returns and secure borders.

Through the Plan for Change we’re going further in restoring order to a broken system, accelerating returns of those with no right to be here and closing expensive asylum hotels.

I thank the governments of Ghana and Nigeria for facilitating this operation, which reflects our joint commitment to disrupt organised immigration crime and protect our borders.

Baroness Chapman of Darlington, FCDO Minister responsible for Irregular Migration said:

Working with other countries and partners around the world is critical to tackling irregular migration – by working internationally, we will meet this global challenge together.

I welcome our strong cooperation with Ghana and Nigeria to return those with no right to be in the UK, secure our borders, and deliver on the Plan for Change.

This operation follows the Organised Immigration Crime Summit, which saw the UK bring together over 40 countries, including Nigeria and Ghana, to drive forward the global fight against smuggling gangs and deliver on the government’s mission to secure our borders.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 25 April 2025.

UK-Thai cooperation results in 90% reduction in cannabis arriving in the post.

Cannabis arrivals by post from Thailand plummeted by 90% in the first three months of this year, thanks to a new partnership between UK Border Force and Thai customs.

Since Thailand decriminalised cannabis in 2022, there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of cannabis being sent to the UK by post.

In the last quarter of 2024, Border Force, with the support of Royal Mail, detected over 15 tonnes of the drug, which threatened to overwhelm resources.

However, after intense diplomatic engagement, UK Border Force and Thai customs established a new agreement, requiring parcels from Thailand to be checked before they are shipped.

Border Force have detected 1.5 tonnes of cannabis coming through the post in the first quarter of 2025 – a 90% reduction, which is a result of the extra checks taking place in Thailand.

The action is key to this government’s work to boost international cooperation and tighten border security as we deliver safer streets for working people through our Plan for Change.

Minister for Citizenship and Migration, Seema Malhotra said:

Our partnership with Thai customs has slashed cannabis smuggling in the post by 90% in just three months. This collaboration is delivering real results and it’s a prime example of how international cooperation is crucial to our Plan for Change, safer streets mission.

By stopping these drugs at source, we’re disrupting organised crime, protecting communities, and freeing Border Force to focus on other priorities. Together with our partners in Thailand, this government will continue to take tough action against those attempting to smuggle illegal drugs across our borders.

The Home Office and Border Force have also worked closely with Thailand to prevent drugs being smuggled by air passengers. In February, Border Force and the National Crime Agency took part in Operation Chaophraya, a Home Office-led operation at Bangkok Airport.

This resulted in over 2 tonnes of cannabis being surrendered from transiting passengers, with an estimated value of £6 million.

Since Operation Chaophraya began under this government in July 2024, over 50 British nationals have been arrested in Thailand for attempted cannabis smuggling, underlining the importance of upstream deterrence work.

To mark the new partnership, the UK hosted Director General of Thai Customs, Mr Theeraj Athanavanich, and his delegation at Heathrow Airport and a Border Force postal depot earlier this week.

Mr Athanavanich met with the Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Seema Malhotra, and Director General for Border Force, Phil Douglas, where they discussed the success of the agreement and future collaboration.

Border Force Director General, Phil Douglas said:

Border Force works tirelessly to protect and strengthen our borders, by preventing the smuggling of cannabis and other illegal items into the UK. Our work doesn’t stop at the border – we work internationally with our partners to prevent illicit goods from even reaching the UK.

We are using advanced intelligence more than ever before and last year we made a record number of drug seizures, including the highest harm substances. Border Force remains fully committed to securing our borders and keeping our streets safe.

In parallel with its cooperation with the UK on cannabis, Thai customs have introduced stricter screening measures at the border. This has resulted in over 800 cannabis smugglers being intercepted between October 2024 and March 2025, with over 9 tonnes of cannabis seized.

Both the UK and Thailand are taking a zero-tolerance approach on criminal gangs who are exploiting vulnerable people to smuggle drugs across the UK border on their behalf. Individuals who are caught smuggling drugs will be arrested and face the full force of the law.

Alex Murray, NCA Director of threat leadership, said:

The NCA continues to work with partners at home and abroad to target high-risk routes, seize shipments of drugs and disrupt the OCGs involved, denying them profits.

We have been working well with the Thai authorities who are keen to intervene. Couriers should think very carefully about agreeing to smuggle cannabis. There are life-changing consequences. Crime groups can be very persuasive but the risk of getting caught is very high and simply not worth it.

Border Force is committed to delivering the government’s Plan for Change, Safer Streets mission by stopping illegal drugs from entering our country and destroying lives.

In the year ending March 2024, Border Force and the police seized over 119 tonnes of illegal drugs, with a street value of £3 billion, a 52% increase from the year prior, in the highest number of seizures on record.

Charlotte Prescott, Director of Customs and International Policy at Royal Mail said:

Collaboration between government agencies and postal bodies is essential. We have a very strong partnership with Border Force and are proud to work alongside our Border Force colleagues, assisting their work in identifying restricted and prohibited items, and helping to tackle this issue – this relationship has been recognised as one of the best internationally.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 25 April 2025.

Even tougher action to hold tech platforms to account for failing to protect children from harmful knife crime content online, the government has announced.

As part of the Plan for Change, tougher sanctions will be brought in to combat the unacceptable content circulating online that advertises deadly and illegal knives and other offensive weapons to young people – or which glorifies or incites violence.

The government has already announced a significant fine of up to £10,000 for individual tech bosses whose platforms fail to remove this content within 48 hours following a police warning. Following significant consultation with the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime, the government is going even further with an additional fine of up to £60,000 to be paid by the company. This means tech platforms and their executives could collectively face up to £70,000 in fines for every post relating to knife crime they fail to remove.

A greater range of online platforms will be liable under these new laws to also include online search engines as well as social media platforms and marketplaces, to capture all online providers which might currently be failing to remove content.

The move bolsters further measures set out yesterday by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and Ofcom, to protect children from a broad spectrum of harmful online content including pornography, suicide and self-harm under the Online Safety Act.  The laws will be some of the most comprehensive online safety protections in the world and mean platforms must protect children from content including suicide, self-harm, and pornography by taking steps such as introducing age checks like photo ID matching or facial age estimation and filtering out harmful content from algorithms.

Crime and Policing Minister, Dame Diana Johnson said:

The kind of content that young people scroll through every day online is sickening and I will not accept any notion that restricting access to this harmful material is too difficult.

Our children need more from us. That is why we are now going further than ever to hold to account the tech companies who are not doing enough to safeguard young people from content which incites violence, particularly in young boys.

Curbing the impact of this kind of content will be key for our mission to halve knife crime, but more widely our Plan for Change across government to do more protect young people from damaging and dangerous content.

As previously announced, the Home Office will introduce a new system to be carried out by a new policing unit backed by £1.75 million of funding to tackle the sale of knives online. This will have a national capability and be run by the National Police Chiefs’ Council. They will be responsible for issuing Content Removal Notices which inform the tech platform of illegal content, giving them a 48 hour window in which they must remove it.

Failure to comply will now result in a Civil Penalty Notice rather than taking the company to civil court, which include the respective fines for both executives and the wider company. This will mean sanctions can be inflicted much more quickly and is the same penalty that an employer may receive for employing an illegal worker to reflect the vital importance of removing harmful knife related content.

Patrick Green CEO of The Ben Kinsella Trust said:

The portrayal of knife crime on social media has significantly hindered efforts to reduce it. Beyond merely normalising, glamorising, and desensitising young people to violence, it has often provided an illegal avenue for purchasing knives without adequate safeguards, such as proper age verification.

Social media companies and their executives have repeatedly failed to address these issues. Therefore, I welcome today’s announcement from the government to take decisive action and hold these executives accountable.

I also thank the government for listening to the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime and for extending these sanctions to include social media companies, who have a responsibility to keep young people safe on their platforms.

These sanctions are part of a range of measures being introduced by this government in its mission to halve knife crime in a decade. These include:

• banning zombie-style knives and ninja swords, with a nationwide surrender scheme launching in July
• introducing stronger 2-step verification for online retailers selling knives online and banning delivery of weapons to alternative addresses that don’t match the buyer
• requirement for online retailers to report any bulk or suspicious-looking purchases of knives to the police
• launching a consultation in spring on the introduction of a licensing scheme for retailers who wish to sell knives
• increasing prison sentences for selling weapons to under 18s from 6 months to 2 years
• introducing a new offence for possessing a weapon with intent for violence with a prison sentence of up to 4 years

The sanctions for tech platforms will be introduced via an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill which was tabled on 24 April for committee stage.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 24 April 2025.

The UK will become the first country in Europe to ban the possession and supply of SIM farms – technical devices used to defraud the public.

Members of the public will be better protected from fraudsters and scammers through a landmark, Europe-first ban on the possession and supply of SIM farms, the Fraud Minister Lord Hanson has confirmed today.

SIM farms are technical devices capable of holding multiple SIM cards enabling criminals to send scam texts to thousands of people at once or set up ‘verified’ online accounts in large volumes. They increase the chances of innocent consumers falling victim to major financial losses.

With recent data showing that fraud increased last year by 19%, and that it accounts for more than 40% of all reported crime in England and Wales, the government is acting to prevent and counter these evolving threats and deliver security for the public as a foundation of the Plan for Change. This follows the commitment to publish a new, expanded fraud strategy before the end of the year.

The new offence will make the possession or supply of SIM farms without a legitimate reason illegal, shutting down a key route used by criminals to exploit the public, and will carry an unlimited fine in England and Wales and a £5,000 fine in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The ban will come into effect 6 months after the Crime and Policing Bill receives Royal Assent.

It will mean that those offenders using these devices to defraud the public will not only continue to face the full force of the law for their heinous actions but will also be hit with hefty fines.

Fraud Minister Lord Hanson said:

Fraud devastates lives, and I am determined to take the decisive action necessary to protect the public from these shameful criminals.

Two-thirds of British adults say they’ve received a suspicious message on their phone – equivalent to more than 35 million people – which is why cracking down on SIM farms is so vital to protecting the public.

This marks a leap forward in our fight against fraud and will provide law enforcement and industry partners the clarity they need to protect the public from this shameful crime. This government will continue to take robust action to protect the public from fraud and deliver security and resilience through the Plan for Change.

Anyone who is worried about being a victim of fraud and wants to find out more about how to better stay protected, including understanding the tactics fraudsters use, should visit Stop! Think Fraud – How to stay safe from scams.

Rachel Andrews, Head of Corporate Security at Vodafone UK, said:

Vodafone UK is committed to protecting all our customers from fraud, including activity enabled by SIM farms. So far this year we have blocked over 38.5 million suspected scam messages, and in 2024 that figure reached over 73.5 million for the year.

As an industry, UK telecoms operators have blocked more than 1 billion suspected scam messages since 2023. However, we cannot fully tackle fraud in isolation, collaboration between industry and government is crucial. This is a really important step taken by the Home Office and we fully support the inclusion of SIM farms in the upcoming legislation.

We look forward to working together on this issue.

Nick Sharp, Deputy Director for Fraud at the National Crime Agency, said:

Fraud is the crime we are all most likely to experience, and one that causes victims significant emotional and financial harm.

We know that fraud at scale is being facilitated by SIM farms, which give criminals a means and an opportunity to contact victims at scale with relative ease.

The ban announced today is very welcome. It will give us a vital tool to step up our fight against fraudsters, target the services they rely on, and better protect the public.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 23 April 2025.

Police officers will be given greater confidence to carry out their roles, with reforms to the systems that hold them to account set to enter Parliament.

The government will table an amendment to the flagship Crime and Policing Bill later this week to provide a presumption of anonymity for firearms officers who are subject to a criminal trial following a shooting.

This will apply during court proceedings and in media reporting up until the point of conviction.

Improving policing systems is a crucial part of making our streets safer under the Plan for Change, and this move addresses specific concerns raised during the accountability review about the risks firearms officers face from criminal gangs and will protect them and their families against any such threat.

Three measures to improve the timeliness and appropriateness of investigations into police use of force and the rights of victims will also be also included in the bill:

1. Aligning the threshold for referrals by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) of officers to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to that used by police when referring cases involving members of the public. This is to avoid the system being clogged up with cases, allowing greater focus and swifter resolution of those that are referred.
2. Speeding up processes by allowing the IOPC to send cases to the CPS where there is sufficient evidence, prior to their final investigation report.
3. Putting the IOPC victims’ right to review policy on a statutory footing to ensure the voices of victims and their families are heard.

This is a crucial step in delivering measures set out by the Home Secretary to parliament in October, in which she set out a package of reforms to rebuild confidence for police officers and communities. The measures are designed to tackle unacceptable delays and confusion in the system, to ensure that the complexity of specialist operations is considered at an early stage, and that the highest standards within policing are upheld and maintained.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

The proud British tradition of policing by consent depends on mutual bonds of trust between the police and the communities they serve. That’s why we have set out an ambitious package of measures to rebuild both public trust in policing and the confidence of police officers in their vital work to keep the public safe.

Police officers in specialist roles who make split-second decisions to keep the public safe must have the confidence to carry out their duties, knowing that the systems which hold them to account for their decisions are fair.

Too often those processes have involved unacceptable delays and confusion, which has been damaging both for the police and the public. These changes will help to boost confidence that the system will work swiftly and effectively for all those involved.

The accountability review found that the current system for holding police officers to account is not commanding the confidence of either the public or the police, with misconduct proceedings too often plagued by delays stretching for years, which is damaging for complainants, police officers and police forces alike.

Alongside the changes being made in the Crime and Policing Bill, the Director for Public Prosecutions has already completed a review of CPS guidance and processes in relation to charging police officers for offences committed in the course of their duties. Revised guidance provides greater clarity for prosecutors, ensuring the dynamic and fast-changing nature of specialist policing decisions are taken into account when charging decisions are made.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, said:

The progress that has been made on vital accountability reform should be welcomed. In particular, I am very pleased to see that the previous commitment on anonymity for firearms officers subject to criminal trials is going to be introduced as an amendment to legislation going through Parliament.

We know further reform is needed if officers are to have full confidence in the system that holds them to account but alongside our policing partners we are working positively and constructively with the government and that work will continue.

Lead of the National Police Chiefs’ Council Operations Coordination Committee and the Senior Responsible Officer for the accountability review, Chief Constable BJ Harrington, said:

We welcome today’s announcement. These are positive changes which will ensure that the public interest is served, and that police officers and staff will have the confidence to protect the public and uphold the law.

Everyone in policing expects to be held to account for their actions and use of powers. However, too often we hear of the devastating, and often disproportionate, impact on officers, staff and their families after they have stepped forward with courage and professionalism on behalf of the public.

Whether it’s an issue concerning use of force, death following contact with the police, police driving or where officers are alleged to have broken the law, it is important that the accountability mechanism is swift, balanced, and fair. This in turn will give our people the confidence to fulfil their duties, and the public confidence in their professionalism and decision making.

We remain determined to get police accountability right and we will support government to improve the current accountability system to ensure community support, and importantly, to give police officers and staff the knowledge that where they act, to do the right things for the right reasons, they have the support to do their job of tackling crime and protecting the public.

This comes as the government has today set out further reforms to rebuild public confidence in policing, including new regulations to ensure police chiefs can automatically sack officers who fail background checks, allowing them to root out those who are unfit to serve.