Home Office data show that 36,816 people arrived in the UK by small boat in 2024, a 25 percent rise compared to 2023 (29,437). The highest number of arrivals was recorded in 2022, at 45,774.
Digital ID system proposed to track migrants in what appears to be an increasingly desperate effort to curb all forms of illegal migration. As part of this effort, Labour’s shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced that the her party is considering introducing a “digital ID” system to monitor individuals who overstay their visas and are no longer entitled to remain in the UK.
The proposed system would help track migrants lacking documentation and bring untaxed “off-the-books” or „under-the-table” employment under legal and fiscal oversight.
Illegal migrants frequently work undeclared, particularly in construction, hospitality, agriculture and domestic services. Such jobs are typically paid in cash, with income unreported and untaxed. Among the sectors most affected by undeclared labor are construction and domestic work.
While it is difficult to determine the exact number of undocumented migrants in the UK, the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory estimated in 2017 that between 800,000 and 1.2 million people were living in the country without valid residence permits.
According to the Migration Observatory, roughly half of the undocumented population originates from the Asia-Pacific region, while around 20 percent come from Sub-Saharan Africa.
This makes the United Kingdom home to the largest illegal immigrant population in Europe.
An estimated 25 percent of all undocumented migrants residing in the 32 European Union and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries live in the UK.
In April, around 40 Labour MPs signed an open letter asserting that digital identification could help reduce undeclared work, which they believe is a major incentive for migrants to enter the country illegally or overstay their visas.
In a statement last month regarding the government’s white paper on restoring control over the immigration system, it was noted that net migration reached a record high of over 900,000 under the previous administration. That figure was recorded in 2023 and had decreased slightly by 2024, just months before Labour assumed power.
Nigel Farage and Anti-Immigration Party Gain Traction
Nigel Farage has repeatedly demanded an end to illegal immigration following the arrival of millions of people into Britain. Just one week after his party’s sweeping success in local elections, the Reform UK leader declared in a VE Day speech that mass migration had resulted in “cultural damage” and “fractured communities” across the country.
“We must stop this. Over the past 20 years, our population has grown by 10 million. It has diminished everyone’s quality of life, caused cultural damage, shattered our communities, our patriotism and our faith,”
he emphasized.
Previous reports from Magyar Nemzet have also highlighted the failure of the UK’s immigration policies and the growing pressure on the government to tighten controls.
