Electronic ankle tags trialled to stop migrants going on the run

SOME illegal immigrants will be electronically tagged to try to stop them absconding while on bail as part of a Home Office trial.

- Jon Austin

The number of immigration absconders fluctuates, but was as high as 56,000 in 2017.

The Home Office said the 12-month pilot, which began on Wednesday, will test whether electronic monitoring is an effective way to give immigration bail to those who arrive in the country using "unnecessary and dangerous" routes such as small boats across the Channel or in the backs of lorries.

The plan drew criticism from the Refugee Council, which said it was treating asylum seekers as criminals.

However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended the tagging plan, saying it was essential people who arrived illegally were not simply able to disappear.

Speaking to reporters at RAF Brize Norton after returning from Ukraine, the Prime Minister said: "This is a very, very generous, welcoming country.