Reform UK Vows Jail for Bosses Hiring Illegal Migrants

Reform UK has vowed to jail bosses behind companies that employ illegal migrants, and said it would impose fines on larger firms equivalent to 10% of their global revenues.

The party said the measures are intended to stop delivery and gig economy businesses benefiting from illegal working “without consequences”.

Personal Liability for Corporate Leaders

Reform’s plans, unveiled ahead of the next general election, would introduce a law making chief executives and directors of large companies personally and criminally liable if they profited from employing illegal workers.

The party said liability would apply regardless of whether company leaders knew their staff did not have the right to work in the UK.

Reform said the approach would mirror the personal responsibility of senior managers for financial misconduct under Financial Conduct Authority rules.

The party also proposed a dedicated phone line for the public to report suspected illegal working or organised criminal activity. It said police and other authorities, including trading standards teams, would be required to investigate reports.

Reform said it would reward reports that lead to successful prosecutions with a share of any fines generated.

Fines and Tougher Penalties

Reform said it would fine larger firms 10% of their global revenues where they employ illegal workers. Party home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf said young people were being “shut out” of entry-level jobs, and that illegal working undermined the wider economy.

Yusuf added that Reform would introduce the “toughest penalties anywhere in the world” for illegal working.

The pledge comes as existing enforcement already results in penalties for breaches of immigration rules. In June, a council was fined £45,000 after employing one illegal worker.

Home Office Says Measures Are Already Being Done

The Home Office said it was already increasing penalties for employers who hire illegal workers. A source within the department described parts of Reform’s proposals as “empty posturing”.

A Home Office spokesperson said the government is extending right-to-work checks to the gig economy and delivery sector, aimed at closing loopholes that allow illegal migrants to work.

The department said employers that break the law face consequences including fines of up to £60,000 per illegal worker, as well as business closures, licence revocations and prison sentences of up to five years.

It also said Immigration Enforcement action has risen since Labour came to power, describing it as the highest level in British history, with illegal working arrests up by 83% and raids up by 77%.

Join the discussion?

6 August 2026

View full article