The Home Secretary has ordered a review of the way penalties for illegal working are issued and collected after an investigation caught a lawyer offering to make such a penalty “go away”.
The review will examine the processes used to impose and recover fines connected with illegal workers. The material available does not give details of the lawyer involved, the organisation concerned or the circumstances in which the offer was made.
The order follows an investigation that exposed the alleged offer to intervene in the penalty process. It has prompted the Government to examine whether existing arrangements provide sufficient safeguards and ensure that penalties are handled properly.
No further details have been provided about the scope of the review, its timescale or any action that may be taken following its findings.