The Home Office and Immigration Enforcement have announced a three-day trial of live facial recognition (LFR) technology at Holyhead Port, commencing on 10 November 2025. During the trial, Immigration Enforcement and Border Force will utilise LFR to compare live camera feeds against predetermined watchlists in real time, with the objective of identifying individuals of interest for law enforcement purposes.

The Home Office and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) have published a supplementary guidance on enforcing the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO). The guidance reflects legislative changes introduced between 2021–2023 through the Fire Safety Act 2021 (FSA 2021) and section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA 2022). The guidance explains the requirements for Responsible Persons to comprehensively document fire risk assessments and safety arrangements, furnish safety information to residents and collaborate with other Responsible Persons and Accountable Persons. Additionally, the guidance clarifies the application of FSO in multi-residential buildings, discusses the removal of the £1,000 cap on certain fines, and explains the revised status of Article 50 guidance for compliance purposes.

The Home Office has announced that Immigration Enforcement and partner agencies made 49 arrests during a three-day operation targeting suspected people smuggling and immigration offences involving travel from Ireland to the UK. Operation Comby has led to more than 250 arrests since the July 2024 election, with 113 of those arrested removed from the UK and almost £500,000 in cash seized, according to the Home Office. Between 22–24 September 2026, officers conducted checks at ports, airports, on roads and across rail networks in Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. The operation targets abuse of the Common Travel Area, which allows British and Irish citizens to move freely between the two countries.

The Home Office has announced that the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 2 December 2025. The accompanying press release states that the Act creates multiple new criminal offences, including supplying small boat parts (maximum 14 years imprisonment), downloading or researching people smuggling information (maximum five years imprisonment), manufacturing vehicle compartments to conceal migrants (maximum five years imprisonment), and endangering lives during small boat crossings (maximum six years imprisonment). The legislation grants Immigration Enforcement, the National Crime Agency and police expanded powers to gather intelligence from mobile phones without requiring arrest, and enables seizure of electronic devices during property searches and enforcement raids. The Act excludes foreign sex offenders from protections under the Refugee Convention and places the Border Security Command on statutory footing. It establishes formal working arrangements between the Border Security Command and the UK Intelligence Community to identify and disrupt people smuggling networks. The Act also criminalises creating or posting online material that promotes small boat crossings or facilitates illegal migration services.

The Home Office has announced that the European Union's Entry-Exit System (EES) commenced on 12 October 2025, requiring British passport holders to register biometrically on their first visit to Schengen area countries. The system mandates non-EU citizens to scan passports and provide fingerprints and photographs at EU borders, with registration valid for three years or until passport expiry. Implementation will be phased over six months until April 2026, with varying requirements across different ports during this period. Those travelling to Schengen area countries do not need to take any action before travelling and the process is free of charge. The EES has been introduced to replace passport stamping for all non-EU citizens and applies to Schengen area countries including Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, but excludes Ireland and Cyprus. British citizens with Withdrawal Agreement residence documents and UK-EU dual citizens using EU passports are exempt from the requirements. On exit, and for subsequent visits to a participating country, travellers will only need to scan their passport and provide either fingerprints or a photograph at the border. Children under 12 will not be fingerprinted but as per the new EU rules, all travellers, including babies, will be photographed and have digital records created. The government has provided £10.5m in funding for border infrastructure at juxtaposed ports including Eurostar at St Pancras, Eurotunnel at Folkestone and the Port of Dover, where processing will occur before departure from the UK.

The Home Office has announced that the EU has been added as a signatory to the UK-led global public-private partnership on fraud established at the Global Fraud Summit 2026, further expanding the international coalition of governments and private sector organisations committed to strengthening cooperation against fraud and online scams. The update reinforces the partnership’s focus on improving cross-border coordination and information sharing between public authorities, financial institutions, telecommunications providers and technology companies to support faster detection, prevention and disruption of fraud-related activity across multiple jurisdictions and digital platforms.

The Home Office has announced that the Home Secretary, James Cleverly, has laid a draft order, the Terrorism Act 2000 (Proscribed Organisations) (Amendment) Order 2024, on 15 January 2024, to declare international Sunni Islamist political organisation, Hizb ut-Tahrir, as terrorists under the Terrorism Act 2000. This order, if agreed by Parliament, will come into force on 19 January 2024, therefore criminalising any belonging to, inviting support for or displaying articles in a public space in a manner which may create suspicion of membership or support for Hizb ut-Tahrir. The Home Office has noted that the proscription of Hizb ut-Tahrir includes ‘the global organisation, as well as all regional branches, including Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain.’

The Home Office has announced the expansion of detention capacity at Haslar and Campsfield Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs), with combined bed capacity at the two sites increasing from 290 to 1,000—contributing to a stated 40% increase in overall UK detention capacity. The Home Secretary has announced the intention to double the Immigration Enforcement budget by 2028–29 and increase enforcement workforce numbers by 60% from 2024 levels by 2026–27. The government has also confirmed, via the King's Speech, its intention to introduce an Immigration and Asylum Bill to reform human rights laws such as modern slavery legislation and Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Home Office has announced that the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 has received Royal Assent, introducing new counter-terrorism requirements for public venues in the UK. The Act mandates premises hosting 200 or more people to implement attack response plans, while venues with capacity over 800 must adopt additional security measures including CCTV and search protocols. The legislation, also known as Martyn's Law, includes a 24-month implementation period and was developed following recommendations from the Manchester Arena Inquiry. The Home Office will work with the Security Industry Authority to support venues in meeting compliance requirements.

Home Office announced that the UK and Cambodia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation against online scam centres. The agreement provides for intelligence sharing, coordinated law enforcement activity, prosecution of offenders and support for trafficking victims. It targets organised criminal networks operating scam centres across Southeast Asia that facilitate fraud affecting UK victims. The UK will provide training to Cambodian authorities in cyber investigations, digital forensics and investigative procedures. Both countries will also work through the Global Fraud Taskforce, developed with INTERPOL, to identify suspects, dismantle scam centres and disrupt illicit financial flows. The agreement follows UK-US sanctions targeting scam networks in Southeast Asia and supports the government's £250 million Fraud Strategy, including the Online Crime Centre.

Prime Minister, Keir Starmer and the French President, Emmanuel Macron, have agreed to implement a new bilateral pilot scheme aimed at addressing illegal Channel crossings and dismantling people smuggling networks. Under the agreement, individuals arriving in the UK via small boats will be returned to France, while an equivalent number of migrants will be permitted to enter the UK legally from France, subject to full documentation and stringent security checks. The initiative is designed to deter illegal migration by undermining the operations of organised criminal gangs and reducing the number of dangerous crossings. Once operational, the scheme will allow for the detention and removal of individuals who cross the Channel illegally. The UK government reported a 51% rise in illegal working enforcement activity, with over 7,000 arrests and announced plans for a nationwide crackdown targeting the gig economy. New biometric tools will also be introduced to support on-the-spot immigration checks. This agreement forms part of the UK government’s broader strategy to enhance border security and disrupt organised immigration crime through increased international cooperation and domestic enforcement.

The Home Office has announced reforms to the Windrush compensation scheme, effective from 15 January 2026, aimed at providing greater compensation and expediting claims processing. Under the new scheme, advance compensation payments of up to three-quarters of the expected final awards may be issued during the review process. The reforms expand eligibility to include compensation for workplace and personal pension losses and provide refunds of all immigration fees for individuals unable to prove their status. In addition, a priority allocation system has been introduced for claimants aged 75 or over, alongside measures for retirement savings withdrawals and adjustments for wage inflation. These improvements apply retrospectively to existing claimants as well as to new applicants. To date, the scheme has granted £128m to 3,842 claimants, with more than 94% of cases concluded. Furthermore, the government has allocated £600,000 in the second year of the £1.5m Windrush Compensation Advocacy Support Fund to offer dedicated support throughout the compensation process.