A Green-led London council has threatened to withhold cooperation from the Home Office over immigration enforcement operations, claiming that raids are dividing communities and leaving residents living in fear of “a knock on the door.”
Lambeth Council’s cabinet member for safer, thriving neighbourhoods, Jonathan Bartley — a former co-leader of the Green Party — has announced a review of the borough’s information-sharing arrangements with the Home Office, timed to coincide with Refugee Week, which began on 15 June. In a video posted on the council’s website, filmed in front of graffiti reading “all migrants welcome,” Bartley said: “Immigration raids are causing fear and dividing Lambeth’s communities. As Refugee Week begins, it is right that we take a careful and transparent look at how information is shared in relation to immigration enforcement activity.”
Bartley argued that residents in the south London borough were too frightened to seek help from the council itself. “They fear the knock on the door from immigration enforcement, they fear they can’t turn to the council for help when they might be in exploitative circumstances because perhaps the council is actually cooperating with council enforcement,” he said. “Lambeth is home to people from every corner of the world. Our diversity is one of our greatest strengths and we want all residents to feel safe, valued and able to engage with public services without fear. And I’m proud to represent a borough that believes in diversity, equity and inclusion.”
The Green Party formed a minority administration in Lambeth following May’s local elections, winning 27 seats — more than any other party on the council. The opposition consists entirely of Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors, with no Conservative or Reform UK representation.
The announcement has drawn sharp criticism from the shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, who told the Daily Mail the move was dangerous and sent the wrong signal to criminal gangs. “This is yet another extreme, dangerous immigration policy from the Green Party,” he said. “Immigration officers do a vital job tracking down anyone who has come here illegally. Stopping them from doing their duty sends a signal to human traffickers everywhere that Britain is a soft touch. The only thing the Greens stand for is open borders at all costs.”
The council’s stance puts it at odds with a significant national drive to increase immigration enforcement. In January, the Home Office said raids had reached their highest level in British history, up 77 per cent since Labour came to power, with 17,400 operations conducted on businesses including nail bars, car washes, barbers and takeaways — many of which are known to employ illegal migrants and are believed to have links to human trafficking networks. Last week alone, three arrests were made in raids on souvenir shops, with a £40,000 civil penalty issued to one shop for employing an illegal worker.
