Lewisham council moves to sever ties with Home Office over immigration enforcement

Lewisham Council, now under Green Party control following the May local elections, is preparing to vote on a motion that would formally ban its officials from cooperating with the Home Office on immigration raids. The decision marks a significant escalation in tensions between local government and Westminster, as the borough seeks to review its internal systems to prevent assistance with the deportation of individuals without the right to remain in the UK.

The motion follows the discovery of an email from the Home Office’s immigration enforcement team, dated 2023, which requested assistance with conducting “joint operational visits.” The correspondence, which sought contacts within the council’s food standards team, indicated an intention to share findings with local authorities and utilise environmental health data to target restaurant workers. Council officials have now moved to halt such data-sharing practices as part of a broader strategy to protect residents from immigration enforcement actions.

Zack Polanski, the Green Party leader, described the initiative as a crucial step in creating a “corridor of sanctuary” across London. He stated that Green councils in the capital are working to ensure that no resident lives in fear of being removed from their home, regardless of their immigration status or origin. The party now controls councils in Southwark, Haringey, Hackney, Lewisham, and Waltham Forest, forming a political bloc that promises to defy Home Office directives.

The move comes as the Labour government faces increasing pressure to demonstrate a harder line on migration. Ministers have reported a 77 per cent rise in raids on businesses such as nail bars, car washes, and takeaways since the 2024 election, alongside an 83 per cent increase in arrests. A Home Office spokesperson defended the approach, stating that the department maintains a “collaborative relationship” with local authorities to fight immigration crime, though they made no apology for joining forces with councils to enable information sharing.

Peter Walsh, a senior researcher at the Migration Observatory, noted that while workplace enforcement may deter some employers, raids are resource-intensive and only affect a small share of businesses involved. The review at Lewisham is also expected to examine contracts with organisations that have previously facilitated raids, including the homelessness charity St Mungo’s, which apologised in 2019 for sharing information about migrant rough sleepers with the Home Office. With the Greens holding 40 of the council’s 54 seats, the motion is expected to pass at the meeting next Wednesday.