Labour government says more people working illegally are being arrested and deported – UK politics live

More than double number of arrests made since 2024 compared with previous two-year period Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately has been on the media round this morning for the Conservatives to talk about her party’s pledge to ban foreign nationals from social housing. Here is a roundup of what she said: When asked on BBC Breakfast whether people who have fled war in Ukraine would be made to leave their social housing home by a Tory government, Whately responded: “We’re not attempting to change people’s migration status, if people have come here and sought refuge … Britain is a welcoming country for that and we’re not about to change it.” When asked to clarify whether Ukrainian refugees would be “thrown out” under her party’s policy, Whately took issue with the language, saying: “We’re making sure people have six months to find another place to live.” Appearing on Sky News, Whately was asked what would happen to people after the six-month grace period.

She said: “You should do what most people in the UK do, which is find their own accommodation, for instance, private rented accommodation.” Times Radio raised the issue of insufficient social housing being built. In response, Whately said it would take “years and years” to provide homes for everyone on the waiting list , and argued that her party’s policy was a faster approach to freeing up homes. Continue reading...