Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on August 3, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleThe UK plans to impose a five-year prison sentence on people smugglers using social media to promote illegal immigration services.
LONDON (Reuters) -People smugglers who use social media to promote their services to migrants seeking to enter Britain illegally could face five years in prison under plans announced by the government.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government is under huge political and public pressure to cut the number of migrants arriving illegally in small boats from France. More than 25,000 people have made the crossing so far this year.
Analysis by the Interior Ministry showed around 80% of migrants arriving on small boats had used social media during their journey to find or communicate with people smugglers.
Under a new offence, which will be added to legislation already passing through parliament, individuals who post online to advertise services that facilitate a breach of immigration laws will face fines and prison sentences of up to five years.
It is already an offence to facilitate illegal immigration to Britain, but the government said its latest plan would give law enforcement agencies another option to disrupt the criminal gangs that profit from organising the crossings.
Last month, the government launched a new sanctions regime allowing it to freeze assets, impose travel bans and block access to the country's financial system for individuals and entities involved in enabling irregular migration.
(Reporting by William James; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
People smugglers who advertise on social media could face five years in prison under new plans announced by the government.
The Labour government is facing significant political and public pressure to reduce the number of migrants arriving illegally in small boats from France.
Analysis by the Interior Ministry indicated that around 80% of migrants arriving on small boats used social media to find or communicate with people smugglers.
It is already an offence to facilitate illegal immigration to Britain, but the new plan aims to provide law enforcement with additional tools to combat criminal gangs.
Last month, the government introduced a sanctions regime that allows freezing assets, imposing travel bans, and blocking access to the financial system for individuals involved in people smuggling.
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