London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Migrant website set up by Home Office decried as ‘unethical’

Migrant website set up by Home Office decried as ‘unethical’

Site offering supposedly independent advice is part of a £23,000 government social media campaign
The Home Office has been censured for setting up a website that purports to provide independent advice to migrants considering travelling to the UK – but without making it clear that her department is behind it.

It has been reported that the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) condemned the Home Office for producing an “unethical” website aimed at deterring people from attempting to seek refuge in the UK.

This comes as it has emerged that the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has received a complaint about the Home Office’s campaign to deter migrants from coming to the UK without making clear that the information comes from the department. The ICO is considering whether to launch an investigation.

The migrantsonthemove.org website, created by the Home Office, states: “The UK asylum process does not offer any advantages. It is safer and easier to apply for asylum in the country you’re in now.”

The front organisation, On the Move, has been promoted to asylum-seekers in France and Belgium as part of a £23,000 social media campaign by the Home Office.

The CIPR has accused the Home Office of “a lack of transparency” in creating a website that claims to be a reliable and objective source of information but does not disclose its publisher.

Despite this reprimand, there was no visible correction or clarification on the website on Saturday stating that it is a Home Office website. It states that the contact details and IP address of anyone who contacts it will be logged, that the website’s privacy policy may change and that sometimes other (unspecified) organisations are used to support the website’s services.

It contains various photos including one of two women wearing hijabs and another which appears to be of thousands of migrants crossing a sun-dappled park.

There is also no indication that the Home Office PR campaign has deterred migrants from coming to the UK. So far this year, more than 10,000 migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats, a higher number than in any previous year.

Home Office officials said last year that 98% of those crossing in small boats were asylum seekers. However, the website suggests that many of those crossing will not be eligible for free hospital treatment, although asylum seekers are eligible for free NHS treatment.

Mandy Pearse, the CIPR president, said: “Transparency in PR practice is critical to maintaining public trust and confidence in our institutions. That is why it is so important that those working in the public sector adhere to the highest standards of ethical practice. In this case the Home Office has not done that.”

She added: “The intention of deterring people from risking their lives with people smugglers is laudable, but the execution of this campaign has fallen short of the standards we would expect.”

An ICO spokesperson said: “Organisations must use people’s data transparently. This means organisations must be clear, open and honest with people from the start about who they are, and how and why they use their personal data. We have received a complaint on this matter and we will be assessing the information provided.”

Clare Moseley, the founder of the charity Care4Calais, expressed concern about the inability to stop such websites operating. “I’m shocked that our government is determined to spend time and money misleading vulnerable people.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are seeing an unacceptable rise in dangerous and unnecessary small boat crossings. While lives are at risk, we make no apology for providing potentially lifesaving information to migrants and highlighting the risk of these deadly journeys.

“The migrants communications campaign ran to deter migrants located in France and Belgium who were intending to make dangerous attempts to enter the UK by small boat or hidden in lorries over the winter months. The campaign’s website was promoted through the social media posts, which had clear Home Office branding on them.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
×