No More Billionaire‑Backed Asylum Abuse: Build Communities, Not Detention Centres
Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; Shabana Mahmood, Home Secretary; UK Home Office (HO); David Lammy, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom & Secretary of State for Justice; UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ)
The cost-of-living crisis is hitting families across this country hard, and we want public money spent on building up our communities that includes people seeking safety, not breaking them apart.
The UK’s asylum system is not working for communities. But the people responsible for designing this flawed system - politicians in the pockets of Billionaires and Corporations - are the same people profiting from it.
SERCO Group is at the core of this system and makes millions from government contracts with the Home Office:
SERCO runs Detention centres such as Yarl’s Wood, Gatwick, and Derwentside, which are notorious for appalling conditions, charges of sexual assault, and an “anti‑migrant culture.”
SERCO’s 24/7 GPS tracking of migrants breaches UK Data‑Protection law and has has been described by clients as a form of “torture”
Beyond immigration, SERCO profits from military contracts—including the F‑35 programme linked to the Genocide in Gaza.
Serco, Clearsprings, and Mears are predicted to receive £15.3 billion of public funds to deliver a for-profit asylum system, evidenced to harm. Imagine the impact if we redirected that money and invested in communities, not corporations. We have alternatives. Community-based case management instead of digital surveillance. Local sponsorship schemes instead of barracks and hotels.
Ending the work ban for people seeking asylum could increase UK tax revenue by £1.2 billion per year —money that would flow into local businesses, schools, and health services, creating jobs and revitalising neighbourhoods.
The solutions already exist, but the political will needs to match it.
While Corporations break apart our society, together we can build a society where everyone — no matter where they’re from — can work, feel safe, and build a decent life for their family.
RESOURCES:
The Home Office’s asylum accommodation contracts: National Audit Office report
For more info on the electronic tagging of migrants and its impact, check out the resources page and videos from BID.
BID’s in-depth report on the human cost of GPS tracking can be read here.
For more info on the ongoing legal actions against the GPS tagging of migrants, read Privacy International’s litigation case page and ICO complaint case page
Podcast with Jonah Mendelsohn (Privacy International), Katie Schwartzmann (Wilsons Solicitors) and Mark Nelson (claimant in Wilsons’ litigation) - Spotify or Privacy International
Women For Refugee Women Resource Page on Detention Centres
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Additional Sponsors
To:
Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; Shabana Mahmood, Home Secretary; UK Home Office (HO); David Lammy, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom & Secretary of State for Justice; UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ)
From:
[Your Name]
Subject: Stop Funding Corporate Cruelty – Reallocate Public Funds from Serco and Border Profiteers to Strengthen Communities with asylum seekers and refugees
Dear Prime Minister, Home Secretary & Secretary of State for Justice,
The United Kingdom is currently enduring a severe cost‑of‑living crisis that is pushing countless families to the brink. While working-class families struggle to afford basic necessities, billions of public pounds continue to be channelled into a hostile-by-design asylum system that inflicts suffering on the most vulnerable people seeking safety in our country.
Serco Group’s central role – Through successive Home Office contracts, Serco profit enormously from the detention and surveillance, and dehumanisation of asylum seekers. Their facilities—including Yarl’s Wood, Gatwick, and Derwentside—are repeatedly reported for appalling conditions, self‑harm crises, and an “anti‑migrant culture.”
- Illicit surveillance practices – 24/7 GPS tracking of migrants breaches UK data‑protection law and has been described by clients as a form of “torture”. When campaigners pressed one of these companies’ leadership for a Human Rights Assessment on their GPS tagging contract, they could not produce it.
- Disproportionate public spending – Approximately £15.3 billion of taxpayer money is paid to corporations for migrant detention and surveillance each year, while an asylum seeker receives merely £9 per week, is barred from employment, and is excluded from contributing to the community that supports them.
Instead of corporate profiteers, by ending the work ban for people seeking asylum could increase UK tax revenue by £1.2 billion per year —funds that would circulate through local businesses, housing, health services and education, thereby strengthening the very communities that are currently under strain.
*Our demands*
*Redirect the £15.3 billion currently allocated to migrant detention and surveillance these contracts toward essential public services—affordable housing, NHS capacity, education, and community development.
*Abolish the work ban for asylum seekers, allowing them to earn a living wage and meaningfully contribute to the UK economy.
*Introduce full parliamentary oversight and transparency for all Home Office contracts relating to immigration, detention and border control.
Chasing anti-democratic forces on more cruel and inhuman migration is a losing strategy. If this government wants to gain public trust, it must ensure that public resources are allocated in a manner that alleviates hardship for millions of British households and people who move here for a better life.
We respectfully urge your government to act swiftly on the points outlined above, demonstrating that the United Kingdom prioritises the well‑being of its people over corporate profit.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. We look forward to your response and to seeing concrete steps taken to redirect public funds toward building stronger, more inclusive communities.
Yours sincerely,