FILE PHOTO: The TikTok app icon on a smartphone in this illustration taken October 27, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
LONDON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Britain's government has launched a TikTok account showing raids on migrants accused of working illegally, with the aim of convincing voters and potential new arrivals that it is tackling what many see as Britain's most pressing problem: immigration.
The securebordersuk account posted a 20-second clip showing a sequence of doors being smashed in by armoured officers, people being led from workplaces in handcuffs and planes taking off, all set to a soaring soundtrack and on-screen text trumpeting an increase in raids and deportations.
The video ends with the message "And it's just getting started."
IMMIGRATION WORRIES HAVE COST GOVERNMENT IN POLLS
The effort to portray a hardline stance on immigration is one of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's moves to win back public support after 18 months in power which have seen his Labour Party fall far behind Nigel Farage's right-wing Reform UK party.
A spokesperson for Starmer said the channel would help reach a wider audience, tackle false narratives online and directly reach migrants considering coming to Britain.
Many European governments are also taking a tougher line on migration.
Polling consistently puts immigration as a top concern for British voters, and Ipsos polling from 2025 showed Reform was ranked as the most trusted party on the issue.
The government said since it took power in July 2024, arrests of illegal workers and raids have reached the highest level in British history, with raids up 77% and arrests up 83%, at businesses such as nail bars, car washes and barbers.
The black economy is frequently cited as one of the pull factors drawing tens of thousands of migrants to enter Britain illegally in small boats from France.
ILLEGAL MIGRATION A KEY BATTLEGROUND
Set against a backdrop of public service cuts and higher taxes that is squeezing many voters, illegal arrivals by boat have become a focal point. More than 40,000 arrived in 2025.
Illegal arrivals accounted for only a small portion of overall net immigration to Britain, which is falling sharply as tighter visa rules take effect.
Tuesday's TikTok video attracted criticism from both sides, such as that the government should do more, or that it was insensitive to the people depicted.
"This government is clearly hooked on the cheap political points it can score by turning the brutality of enforcement raids into click-bait online entertainment," said Sile Reynolds, Head of Asylum Advocacy at charity Freedom from Torture.
(Reporting by William James; additional reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
