Billions made by companies involved in UK border security, study shows
Posted on Wednesday 30 April 2025
Small boat crossings started in 2018, largely due to increased security around other entry routes in Northern France making it difficult to enter the UK via lorry.
People began to cross the Channel in small boats, often using the services of smugglers. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed to “smash the gangs” profiting from small boat crossings.
Whilst focus is often placed on illegal profits made from the people smuggling trade, new research has shown that many companies are profiting completely legally.
Still expanding
Analysis from the Universities of York, Liverpool, Sheffield and Nottingham, has revealed that the UK government has funneled over £3.77 billion across 213 contracts to private companies for border management including small boat interceptions, asylum processing, and high-tech surveillance.
The industry is still expanding, with an additional £1 billion in open tenders as of December 2024.
Dr Joe Turner, from the University of York's Department of Politics and International Relations, said: “The corporate profits we have identified come at the expense of investment in all UK communities and at the expense of the people forced to make dangerous journeys across the Channel. Rather than growing the border industry, government could focus on creating a sustainable system where people could reach the UK safely and apply for asylum on British soil.”
Significant contracts
Researchers found that some of the most significant contracts were tied to immigration detention and deportation infrastructure, linked to the now defunct Rwanda plan. For example, Mitie Care and Custody was awarded over £500 million for managing short-term holding facilities, and construction firm Galliford Try received more than £170 million for redeveloping detention facilities linked to the Rwanda deportation policy.
The largest contract identified was a £1.96 billion agreement with Bristow Group for search and rescue operations. Other contracts include £276 million for detention centre operations, £23 million for the use of sniffer dogs, and £7.7 million for temporary accommodation facilities.
While most contracts relate directly to border control in the Channel, researchers found that others are tied to the wider asylum and immigration infrastructure, including facilities required to support deportation initiatives. In some contracts key financial details are either redacted or undisclosed, highlighting significant gaps in transparency.
No safe route
Dr. Arshad Isakjee from the Department of Geography at the University of Liverpool, who led the research said: “There are currently no safe and legal routes for refugees to come into the UK and claim asylum legally, meaning that people continue to risk their lives by crossing the Channel in small boats to reach the UK.
“Instead of tackling this issue and creating safe and legal routes for people to apply for asylum, the government is subsidising private companies profiting from policies designed to repel them. At a time when the government are making severe cuts to other public services in the UK, this research raises pressing questions: Who truly benefits from these policies? And at what cost to human lives and public resources?”
The study places the UK’s border security economy within a global context, noting that the border industry is projected to grow from $377 billion in 2023 to $679 billion by 2032.
Public purse
Co-author Dr. Lucy Mayblin from the University of Sheffield said: “These figures are very high, and we know that they have not stopped, and will not be likely to stop either the operations of smugglers or small boat Channel crossings.
"There seems to be little public discussion or scrutiny of these contracts, while in other areas of policy - such as disability benefits - there is extensive discussion about high costs and value to the public purse.”
