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A new report by a conservative-leaning policy institute has found that asylum seekers are not commonly exploit human trafficking protections in the UK, undermining claims from multiple interior ministers.

Limited Evidence of False Claims

The report by the thinktank Bright Blue identifies limited evidence that refugee claimants are falsely claiming to have been survivors of human trafficking as a tactic to remain in the country. This is despite several home secretaries pointing to these rules for impeding deportation efforts.

"The Home Office thinks the modern slavery referral system is being abused because it allows people to stay in the country for longer periods," said Ryan Shorthouse, founder and executive chair of the institute. "However, although there could be some abuse, we doubt that it is widespread."

Reforms May Have Minimal Effect

The findings also suggest that pledges by the current home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, to change modern slavery rules will likely have modest results in reducing asylum application numbers. Her plans are anticipated to be detailed in the coming year.

The authors, however, do suggest a revised framework centered on quicker identification of trafficking cases as a way to eradicate the limited amount of misuse which they state does occur.

Increasing Cases and Government Response

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

Recent home secretaries have blamed the refugee process for this increase, alleging applicants of seeking to get classified as survivors of modern-day slavery to prevent being deported.

Officials highlight the data that certain of the nationalities most commonly referred for evaluation also represent a large portion of mainstream asylum applications. British nationals make up the largest group, followed by individuals from Albanian, Vietnam and Eritrea backgrounds.

Evaluation Results

• The report found that nine in ten of assessed cases were judged to have reasonable grounds for classification as victims, suggesting most instances were not vexatious.
• Furthermore, not the vast majority who are determined to have suffered to modern-day slavery granted leave to remain in the UK. This status typically results in compensation and merely short-term leave to stay.

Proposed Solutions

The report's writers suggest ministers should train statutory first-responder organisations including the interior department and Border Force to detect signs of trafficking at an earlier stage. Once that is done, the report states ministers could ban those in detention – having already been screened – from being referred at all.

In response, a Home Office spokesperson commented: "Modern slavery referrals are increasing. This is the reason the interior minister announced reforms … to identify at-risk individuals and stop misuse."

"The statement significantly overhaul the approach to illegal migration, rendering the UK a less appealing target for illegal migrants and more difficult for individuals to block their removal from Britain," they concluded.