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A recent study from a centre-right thinktank has found that asylum seekers are not commonly exploit human trafficking protections in the UK, undermining assertions from multiple interior ministers.

Scant Proof of Fabricated Allegations

The report from Bright Blue identifies little proof that refugee claimants are falsely claiming of being victims of modern slavery as a tactic to stay in the UK. This is despite several home secretaries having blamed the system for hindering removal operations.

"The interior ministry thinks human trafficking assessment process is being abused because it allows people to stay in the country a bit longer," said Ryan Shorthouse, founder and executive chair of Bright Blue. "But while there may be some abuse, we doubt that the abuse is widespread."

Reforms May Have Limited Impact

The findings further indicate that promises by the current home secretary, the Home Secretary, to change modern slavery rules may achieve only limited success in reducing asylum application numbers. Her plans are anticipated to be detailed early next year.

The authors, however, do suggest a revised framework focused on quicker identification of modern slavery as a way to eliminate the limited amount of misuse that they say does occur.

Increasing Cases and Official Stance

The number of people referred to the framework has risen sharply since it was established in 2015, from just over 3,000 that year to more than 19,000 last year.

Recent home secretaries have attributed the refugee process for the rise, alleging applicants of seeking to be classified as victims of human trafficking to avoid being deported.

Officials highlight the data that some of the nationalities most commonly referred for evaluation also represent those that form the bulk of asylum claims. British nationals make up the biggest cohort, then come people from Albania, Vietnamese and Eritrean backgrounds.

Evaluation Results

• Research indicated that nine in ten of assessed cases were assessed as having reasonable grounds for classification as victims, suggesting most instances were not deemed frivolous.
• Nor are the vast majority of those found to have suffered to modern-day slavery awarded permission to stay permanently. The classification more often leads to financial redress and merely temporary permission to remain.

Proposed Solutions

The report's writers suggest the government should train statutory first-responder organisations such as the interior department and Border Force to identify indicators of slavery at an earlier stage. Following this improvement, the report states the government could ban those in detention – who will have already been assessed – from being referred entirely.

Reacting to the findings, a Home Office spokesperson commented: "Modern slavery referrals are increasing. This is why the home secretary announced reforms … to identify at-risk individuals and stop exploitation."

"The statement fundamentally reforms the approach to illegal migration, rendering the UK a less appealing target for illegal migrants and harder for individuals to block their deportation from this country," they concluded.