Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase the level of prosecutions for immigration-related offences.

Prosecutions themselves are a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service.

The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 provides an array of new and stronger powers for law enforcement agencies to prevent organised immigration crime and bring further prosecutions against immigration related offences. These powers will, for example, make it a criminal offence to put lives in danger during a small boat crossing and will allow law enforcement to intercept smuggling gangs’ criminal activity earlier on in the investigations process. The Crown Prosecution Service has welcomed the package of new offences as it equips prosecutors with another tool to fight organised immigration crime, especially those involving dangerous Channel crossings.

The full Act can be found at legislation.co.uk: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/31/part/3/enacted and part 3 provides for ‘Offences relating to things for use in serious crime’.

Statistics published last week show there has been a 33% surge in smuggling arrests, convictions and seizures of criminal cash and assets over the last 12 months. More information on this can be read at What is being done to stop organised immigration crime? - GOV.UK