Nigel Farage's Reform UK Proposes Prison Terms for Employers Unaware of Hiring Undocumented Staff

Nigel Farage's Reform UK has proposed prison sentences for company directors whose businesses employ people without legal permission to work in Britain, including cases where senior executives claim they were unaware of the workers' immigration status.

The party says firms could also face penalties worth 10 per cent of their worldwide turnover under a proposed crackdown on illegal employment.

According to the Guardian, the policy, promoted by Reform's home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf, has been presented as a proposed 'Deliveroo Law' aimed at companies operating in sectors such as food delivery and other forms of flexible work.

Reform argues that businesses should not be able to avoid serious consequences when workers without the necessary immigration status are found working for them.

Tough Penalties for Businesses

Under the proposal, directors and chief executives could be personally held liable to criminal penalties when their companies employ illegal migrants. Reform has said imprisonment could last for as long as five years, while larger companies could be hit with a financial penalty calculated at 10 per cent of their global revenue. The party says the measures are designed to make senior figures responsible for employment practices within their organisation.

'Bosses of companies employing illegal migrants will be sent to prison, and their companies fined ten per cent of their global revenues. There are companies whose entire business model is based on profiting from illegal working,' Zia Yusuf stated during the announcement.

'It is a slap in the face to the public. It makes a mockery of our immigration laws, takes jobs from British workers and is funding the people smugglers in the Channel.'

The proposal would also target companies that fail to pay the penalties imposed on them. Reform has suggested that businesses could ultimately be shut down if they refuse to settle the fines, while money raised through enforcement could be directed towards measures including support for victims of migrant-related crime and efforts to help struggling high streets, per The Sun.

Existing Law Already Allows Prison

Reform's announcement comes against the backdrop of existing UK laws that already allow employers to face criminal punishment for employing people who do not have the right to work.

Government guidance states that an employer can receive a prison sentence of up to five years and an unlimited fine where they knowingly employ someone without permission or had reasonable grounds to believe the person was not entitled to work.

Employers can also receive civil penalties for failing to carry out the required right-to-work checks.

The government has increased the financial consequences for employers, while businesses that follow the prescribed checking process can establish a legal defence against a civil penalty. This makes Reform's proposal particularly significant because it seeks to place greater responsibility on company bosses even where they say they did not know an individual lacked permission to work.

Reform Against Illegal Employment

Yusuf has argued that illegal employment can allow some businesses to reduce their labour costs and put lawful workers at a disadvantage.

Reform has used the proposal to argue that employers should face stronger consequences when their companies benefit from people working without the necessary immigration permission.

Reform has also backed a system allowing members of the public to report suspected illegal working.

The proposed reporting line has been described as a way of giving authorities information about businesses or individuals suspected of breaching immigration rules, with Reform saying reports should be investigated.