Crackdown on illegal delivery work puts gig economy under more scrutiny

Dozens of food delivery riders are facing removal from the UK after a nationwide Home Office operation found widespread illegal working in app-based delivery. The enforcement blitz, carried out over seven days in November, led to 171 arrests, with 60 people detained for deportation.

The action forms part of a broader government drive to curb illegal migration and tighten compliance in sectors reliant on flexible labour. Ministers argue that illegal courier work has become an attractive route for people without the right to work, and that account-sharing on delivery apps has enabled the practice to spread.

What the operation found

Immigration Enforcement teams stopped riders across towns and cities, arresting those suspected of working unlawfully. The Home Office highlighted several cases: two Chinese nationals found working in a restaurant in Solihull, four Bangladeshi and Indian riders arrested in Newham, and three Indian riders detained in Norwich, two of whom are now being removed while another was placed on immigration bail.

Officials say the arrests should be read in the context of a sharp rise in wider enforcement. Home Office figures show 8,232 arrests for illegal working in the year to September, a 63 per cent increase on the previous 12 months, alongside record levels of workplace visits.

New laws and stronger penalties

The operation coincides with the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act coming into force, expanding right-to-work checks to the gig economy, including delivery platforms. The government says the changes close a loophole that previously allowed casual, subcontracted or temporary roles to evade full status verification.

Under the strengthened regime, employers and contracting businesses that fail to carry out checks could face fines of up to £60,000 per illegal worker, prison sentences of up to five years, and potential closure of their business.

Border Security Minister Alex Norris

Delivery platforms drawn further into enforcement

Border Security Minister Alex Norris has met Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats to press for tighter safeguards. Measures under discussion include randomised facial recognition checks and stronger identity verification to prevent riders renting or sharing accounts.

The Home Office has also begun sharing the locations of asylum hotels with delivery firms, aiming to identify suspected hotspots of illegal working. Supporters of the policy argue that it helps platform operators focus vetting efforts where risks are highest. Critics say it risks stigmatising legitimate asylum seekers and communities.

Reaction and the wider debate

Government ministers frame the crackdown as a dual effort against illegal working and organised criminality. The Home Office claims that illicit delivery accounts can be tied to broader forms of exploitation and fraud, and points to £300 million recovered in criminal assets over the past year as evidence of a wider enforcement push.

Migrant-rights groups take a different view. The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain has argued that enforcement activity disproportionately targets black, brown and migrant workers, potentially sweeping up legal workers alongside those without status.  

A sector under sharper regulation

The delivery boom of recent years has reshaped hospitality’s relationship with labour and logistics. This operation suggests that the state now sees the gig-delivery labour market as a frontline enforcement challenge, not just a tech-enabled convenience. With new laws in force and more operations expected, the sector is likely to face sustained scrutiny over who is delivering food, and on what terms.