Shabana Mahmood: “I believe the latest measures represented a "game-changing national crackdown".”

A little over two years into office and the asylum backlog is down, the number of asylum seekers in hotels is falling, illegal working arrests are at record levels, and deportations and returns are up markedly.

It has been settled government policy since last summer, in fact, that the qualifying period will rise from five years to ten.

This surge in enforcement activity takes us to the highest level in British history. Illegal workers and rogue employers have nowhere to hide.

There is nothing fair about a system that is based upon uncontrolled, unsafe and illegal routes into this country.