Asylum seekers who work in the UK without permission should be placed “on the next plane home”, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has said.
Ms Badenoch and her shadow home secretary Chris Philp criticised the UK as being a “soft touch” and that illegal working acts as a “pull factor” for those making the dangerous journey across the English Channel.
While people who have asylum claims that are yet to be processed are not usually allowed to work, if they have been waiting for a year or longer for a decision they can apply for permission to work.
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Earlier in the summer, Mr Philp made an unannounced visit to an asylum hotel where he said he found “clear evidence of illegal working for Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats”.
There are reports that asylum seekers can rent legitimate delivery driver accounts within hours of arriving in the country – skipping employment legality checks.
Uber Eats, Deliveroo, and Just Eat have previously told Sky News they are continuing to strengthen the technology they use to remove anyone working illegally.
Last month, the Home Office struck an agreement with the firms to equip them with tools to identify patterns of misuse and riders who are not allowed to work in the UK.
As part of the deal, the government will share the locations of asylum hotels.
However, the Conservatives have said asylum seekers who are caught working illegally should be barred from becoming a refugee.
“If you come here illegally, take advantage of our asylum system, and then break our laws by illegally working, your asylum claim must be rejected and you should be on the next plane home,” Ms Badenoch said.
“Under my leadership, the Conservatives will never allow Britain to become a soft touch for those who think they can break the rules and profit from it.”
She also said illegal working “rewards illegality, protects perpetrators and mocks hard-working taxpayers”.
