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The Prime Minister today (Monday 31 March) announced the government has returned more than聽24,000 individuals with no right to be in the UK聽since the General Election 鈥� the highest returns rate for eight years.聽

Speaking at the聽Organised Immigration Crime Summit, where over 40 countries and organisations have come together to agree new action to聽smash people-smuggling gangs, the Prime Minister outlined how the government is聽finally restoring order to the immigration system聽after years of failure.

The continued rise in removals includes a聽21% increase in enforced returns and a聽16% increase in foreign national offenders being removed from the UK since July 5th, including the聽4 biggest returns charter flights in the UK鈥檚 history, with a total of more than 850 people on board.

The massive surge in removals followed the government鈥檚 immediate action to redeploy staff across the Home Office to work on policies that deliver results.聽

At the Summit the Prime Minister set out the approach this government is taking to finally take on organised immigration crime 鈥� one that moves beyond gimmicks and instead delivers聽hard graft, international leadership, and delivers on working people鈥檚 priorities for secure borders.

He set out how this is based on giving law enforcement tougher powers than ever to smash the smuggling gangs, ramping up removals to record levels, surging illegal working raids to end the false promise of jobs used by gangs to sell spaces on boats and leading a renewed international law enforcement effort.

Since taking office the government has reset its approach to global cooperation, striking聽new bilateral agreements聽with key international partners including聽France, Germany, Italy, and Balkan states聽to disrupt smuggling networks and accelerate removals.

This is backed by the work of Border Security Commander Martin Hewitt who has been negotiating new agreements to bring together international policing, intelligence, and border enforcement to聽dismantle organised immigration crime networks聽at home and abroad.

This work has already seen arrests of major people smuggling kingpins through joint investigations with the National Crime Agency.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

Immigration crime funds the vile people-smuggling gangs that trade in聽human misery, breach our borders and threaten Britain鈥檚 economic security. This government is taking back control, doing the hard graft needed to deliver results, working with our international allies to smash these gangs and secure our borders.聽

We鈥檝e already聽removed more than 24,000 people with no right to be here聽and we鈥檙e finally shutting down exploitative illegal working, dismantling criminal networks, while聽forcing people-smuggling gangs out of business.

For too long, the UK was a聽soft touch. That ends now.聽No more gimmicks, no empty promises, just serious action for British security.

With over聽40 international partners聽joining the UK鈥檚 call to聽treat people-smuggling like terrorism, today鈥檚 summit marks the beginning of a聽new global coalition聽to take the fight to the criminal gangs聽at every stage of the smuggling chain.

This is backed by landmark legislation through the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, giving new powers to聽seize migrants鈥� phones聽to identify smugglers,聽criminalise those who endanger lives at sea, and聽ensure every business carries out right-to-work checks聽鈥� ending the exploitation of illegal labour for good.

Additional information:

Between 5 July and 22 March 2025 there were 24,103 returns, the highest 9 month period compared to any 9-month period since 2017. Prior to this from Jan 鈥� Sept 2017, returns were 25,225.

Of total returns since 5 July 2024:

• there were 6,339 enforced returns of people with no legal right to remain in the UK
• 3,594 were of foreign national offenders (FNOs)
• 6,781 were asylum related returns

From 5 July 2024 to 22 March 2025 there have been 46 charter flights for returns to countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America

The full stats can be seen聽here.