New research from a team of leading UK universities has revealed that over £3.77 billion in government contracts has been awarded to private companies since 2015 for managing border security and small boat crossings in the English Channel.
The groundbreaking new study, which is a collaboration between the Universities of Nottingham, York, Liverpool and Sheffield – and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) – reveals that, far from being a solely state-run operation, the UK's border enforcement system is a booming business, driven by private security firms, tech giants, and defense contractors.
Small boat crossings started in 2018, largely due to increased security around other entry routes in Northen France making it difficult to enter the UK via lorry. People therefore 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.
However, while focus is often placed on illegal profits made from the people smuggling trade, the research found that many companies are profiting completely legally. Analysis 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 Thom Davies, Associate Professor in Geography at the University of Nottingham, who was part of the team of investigators, said:
While the UK government has shown a disturbing willingness to strip billions of pounds from the pockets of disabled people, our research shows how a similar amount is funneled into the border industry, and the pockets of private firms. At this time of austerity, a gang of companies are profiting from government policies that simply don't work."
While most contracts relate directly to border control in the Channel, the collaborative team of 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.
Dr Arshad Isakjee 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 the 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.
Co-author Dr Lucy Mayblin from the University of Sheffield, said: "The public is often told that stopping small boat crossings is about tackling smuggling gangs. But what is rarely mentioned is the legal flip side of the smuggling economy: the business of bordering. These figures are very high, and we know that they have not stopped, and will not 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."
The research was carried out by the University of Liverpool together with the Universities of York, Sheffield and Nottingham as part of an Economic and Social Research Council-funded project into Channel Crossings.
- A full briefing document outlining the research can be found
- More on the Channel Crossings project can be found here.
