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A recent study by a conservative-leaning policy institute concludes that asylum seekers are not widely abuse the modern slavery system in Britain, undermining assertions made by successive home secretaries.

Scant Proof of False Claims

The report from Bright Blue finds little proof that refugee claimants are falsely claiming of being victims of modern slavery as a strategy to remain in the country. This is despite numerous interior ministers pointing to the system for impeding deportation efforts.

"The Home Office believes human trafficking assessment process is being abused because it allows individuals to remain in the country for longer periods," stated Ryan Shorthouse, founder and executive chair of Bright Blue. "But while there could be certain exploitation, we are sceptical that the abuse is pervasive."

Reforms May Have Minimal Effect

The findings also suggest that pledges by the current home secretary, the Home Secretary, to change modern slavery rules will likely have modest results in reducing the number of asylum claimants. Proposals are expected to be set out in the coming year.

The authors, nevertheless, do suggest a revised framework focused on earlier detection of trafficking cases as a way to eliminate the small degree of misuse which they state does occur.

Rising Referrals and Government Response

The number of people entered into the framework has climbed steeply since it was established in 2015, from just over 3,000 that year to more than 19,000 last year.

Previous interior ministers have attributed the refugee process for this increase, alleging applicants of attempting to get classified as victims of modern-day slavery to prevent deportation.

They point to the data that certain nationality groups most commonly referred for assessment also represent those that form mainstream asylum applications. British nationals make up the largest group, followed by individuals from Albania, Vietnamese and Eritrean nationalities.

Assessment Outcomes

• Research indicated that nine in ten of assessed cases were judged to have valid reasons for classification as survivors, implying the vast majority were not vexatious.
• Nor are most individuals of those found to have suffered to modern-day slavery awarded leave to remain in the UK. The classification more often leads to compensation and merely temporary permission to remain.

Proposed Solutions

The authors suggest the government should train statutory first-responder organisations including the Home Office and border officials to detect indicators of slavery at an earlier stage. Once that is done, the report states ministers could ban detained individuals – having already been screened – from being referred at all.

In response, an interior ministry representative said: "Modern slavery referrals are rising. This is the reason the home secretary proposed changes … to spot vulnerable people and stop misuse."

"These proposals significantly overhaul the approach to unauthorized immigration, making Britain a less appealing target for illegal migrants and harder for people to obstruct their removal from Britain," they concluded.