Government responds to huge petition demanding inquiry into UK illegal migration.TA
At the time of writing the online document has has more than 70,000 signatures.
Migrants continue to cross the English Channel (Image: Getty)
The Government has responded to a petition calling for the establishment of a public inquiry into illegal migration to the UK. The online document, set up by Simon Worley in July, stated: “We call on the Government to launch a full-scale public inquiry into illegal migration in the UK. The inquiry should investigate the effectiveness of UK border control, the financial cost on taxpayers, and the deportation system. Thousands of people illegally migrate to the UK each year. We believe this has negatively impacted the UK to a significant extent and resulted in some people feeling unsafe walking the streets.
“Furthermore, we believe it has brought a great burden onto taxpayers as the Government has had to pay for more support for illegal migrants.” At the time of writing, the petition has 79,269 signatures. If it gets 100,000, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.
The petition closes on January 15. The Home Office said on September 21: “The Government is subject to ongoing scrutiny here through parliament, and by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration.
“The Government doesn’t consider a public inquiry necessary.” Officials added: “The Government recognises the scale of the challenges inherited across the immigration and asylum system.
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“Since taking office, the Government has publicly committed to reducing illegal migration and restoring public confidence in the immigration system and has put in place a wide-ranging programme of reform to restore order and control, including strengthened border security measures, increased enforcement activity, faster decision-making and higher levels of removals. Further changes are being developed and implemented through the Government’s wider immigration and asylum reform programme. The Government is investing heavily in border security and international cooperation.
“Through the Border Security Command, law enforcement agencies are working alongside international partners to disrupt organised immigration crime, dismantle people-smuggling networks and strengthen enforcement activity across the migration route. In addition, the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act has provided law enforcement with stronger powers to tackle organised immigration crime and further protect the UK’s borders.”
The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, says small boat crossings are ‘down significantly’ (Image: Getty)
It comes as the Government’s “one in, one out” deal with France, aimed at curbing migrant Channel crossings, was scrapped in September. The Home Office said the pilot scheme is “no longer processing new cases”, after France reportedly demanded a Europe-wide deal instead.
UK ministers would have willingly seen it continue, it is understood. Under the scheme, people who arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel could be detained and returned to France in exchange for an equivalent number of asylum seekers who applied through a safe and legal route.
Some 1,500 asylum seekers had been deported as of October 1, while slightly fewer than that came to Britain from France, PA reported. The Home Office added in response to the petition: “We are also transforming the asylum system through the Restoring Order and Control policy statement […] and Immigration and Asylum Bill which was introduced on 30 June 2026. These reforms will create a firmer and fairer system by simplifying decision-making, reducing legal challenges, increasing removals, and reducing the incentives that drive illegal migration.
“The Government is committed to ensuring that protection is available to those who genuinely need it, while making it harder for the system to be abused and easier to remove those with no right to remain in the UK. Since July 2024, we have arrested 1,900 criminals involved in organised immigration gangs, disrupted criminal smuggling activity at record levels, and with France, prevented more than 46,000 attempted Channel crossings.
“We have removed over 78,000 people (an increase of 52%) with no right to be here and delivered returns of small boat arrivals at record levels. We are continuing to exit asylum hotels, with fewer than 160 now remaining, reduced from 400 in use at the peak of 2023.
“Record numbers of asylum decisions have been made, and the introduction of a new 24-week target for deciding asylum and immigration appeals for those in accommodation and foreign national offenders will cut delays further from the current average wait of 67 weeks. Overall, asylum costs have fallen by £1 billion since the 2024 general election.
“The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) is a government appointed official responsible for providing independent scrutiny of the UK’s border and immigration functions […] The Government is regularly publicly scrutinised through several channels to monitor the effectiveness of its policies.
“The Home Affairs Committee is a cross-party committee of MPs responsible for scrutinising the work of the Home Office and its associated bodies. It examines government policy, spending and the law, in areas including immigration […] The Home Office recognises the public interest in illegal migration and, as such, regularly provides policy updates including consultation papers […]
“Furthermore, the National Audit Office (NAO) is the UK’s independent public spending watchdog. They are responsible for supporting Parliament in holding the Government to account by providing high-quality audits […] Recent reports in 2025 include an analysis of the asylum system, and a report on the Home Office’s asylum accommodation contracts to support the Home Affairs Committee inquiry.
“Therefore, the Government is already subject to extensive public and parliamentary scrutiny to monitor the effectiveness of such policies and delivery. This, combined with the substantial package of work already underway and existing oversight mechanisms, the Government does not consider that a public inquiry is necessary to identify these challenges or determine how they should be addressed.”
Log burner and wood burner ban plan handed to Andy Burnham
EXCLUSIVE: A new limit on wood burners is on the table, with stricter rules for fireplace use also in the pipeline.
Fireplace and log-burner rules explained
Proposals which could introduce tighter rules on solid fuel heating and a ban on some older types of log burners and wood burners have been met with a call for more support under new Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Labour has already announced a consultation on its Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP), which includes a raft of policies to reduce waste and cut pollution levels. Under the proposals set out in the plan, manufacturers of wood burners would be banned from selling older models unless they meet new standards, though burners already in use would not be retrospectively outlawed.
Smoke Control Areas, which set limits on the types of solid fuel which can be burned in log burners, fireplaces and chimneys in certain areas of England, could also be made even more strict under the proposals. Today, following the start of the new PM’s tenure, industry figures at Heating Equipment Testing and Approval Scheme (HETAS) representing solid fuel burning manufacturers, are urging Mr Burnham to focus on targeted support to get people to ditch their old burners, rather than on tightening rules on new products.
A new ban is set to hit some types of log and wood burner (Image: Getty)
Barry Cope, CEO of HETAS, said: “A wood burner isn’t a fashion accessory you swap out each season – they stay in homes for 15 years or more. Tighter limits on new stoves are welcome, but it will be over a decade before they filter through to most households. If government wants cleaner air sooner, it needs a serious plan for the open fires and outdated stoves in homes right now – including support to upgrade the oldest appliances, guidance on burning better, and education on the importance of chimney sweeping. Without a plan, these proposals are only part of the answer.
“Wood burners aren’t phones – people don’t get a new one every year. Tightening the rules for new appliances will move the needle, but very slowly. Government’s own figures show the gap between old and new appliances is large, and until there is a proper plan for the older ones, the solid fuel burning proposals are only a partial fix.”
He went on to urge government to address labelling for new devices, including advice on how to burn more safely.
Mr Cope added: “A good label should explain the choices people can make and mention the simple fuel and maintenance habits that make all the difference. The messaging is simple. For fuel, burn dry, Ready to Burn wood. For log burners, keep the appliance serviced and the chimney swept. Pair the warning with the fix, and you can make a meaningful difference to what comes out of the chimney.”
The Government has said it will consult on measures to reduce the environmental impact of the public burning wood, such as stoves and bonfires, after it unveiled the revised EIP last December.
Ministers said the consultation will aim to ‘minimise the impact’ of these changes on those who need to burn wood and to respect traditional festivals such as Bonfire Night and Diwali. The Government has tightened the target to cut the emissions of PM2.5 – a fine particulate pollutant linked to asthma, lung disease and heart conditions – by 30% by 2030 compared to 2018 levels.
According to the official figures, a fifth of PM2.5 emissions in 2023 came from domestic combustion.
The EIP states: “The burning of solid fuels is a large contributor to national emissions of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and is a major source of air pollution, especially in urban areas. The World Health Organisation considers PM2.5 the most harmful pollutant to human health (air pollution is responsible for 6.7 million premature deaths every year.
“These particles can enter the bloodstream and internal organs, and there is a growing body of evidence linking exposure with a range of debilitating health conditions, including cardiovascular disease and asthma. We will consult on further measures to reduce emissions from domestic burning [and] consult on new measures that cut emissions from domestic combustion, whilst minimising the impact on those that need to burn and respecting traditional celebratory festivals such as Bonfire Night and Diwali.”
It is understood that the EIP will bring the UK’s PM2.5 standards in line with the EU, which was not the case under the previous EIP, published by the Conservatives in 2023.
Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, whose nine-year-old daughter Ella died from an asthma attack linked to air pollution in 2013, has welcomed the new PM2.5 goal as a “win”.
Ms Kissi-Debrah has been campaigning for “Ella’s Law”, which would require the Government to achieve clean air throughout England by January 1, 2030, setting out a pathway to bring the country in line with World Health Organisation air pollution guidelines.
“It’s not quite Ella’s Law yet, but it’s a step in the right direction,” she told the Press Association.
“So because of that, I’m pleased. Anything that’s going to improve the air, and that means less children are going to be hospitalised and less children are going to die, I am always going to be for it.”
