Minister of State for Countering Illegal Migration
The Minister of State for Countering Illegal Migration is a senior role in the British Home Office with responsibility for tackling illegal migration. It has been held by Michael Tomlinson since December 2023 who attends Cabinet in this capacity. As a Minister of State attending meetings of the Cabinet, the holder of this office is seen as one of the most senior Ministers of State in the Government.
| United Kingdom Minister of State for Countering Illegal Migration | |
|---|---|
| Home Office | |
| Style | Illegal Migration Minister (informal) The Right Honourable (within the UK and Commonwealth) |
| Type | Minister of the Crown |
| Status | Minister of State |
| Member of |
|
| Reports to | |
| Seat | Westminster |
| Nominator | Prime Minister |
| Appointer | The Monarch (on the advice of the Prime Minister) |
| Term length | At His Majesty's pleasure |
| Formation | 10 September 2019 |
| Salary | £115,824 per annum (2022)[1] (including £86,584 MP salary)[2] |
It was previously known as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration, previously known as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Immigration Compliance and Courts and held in both the British Home Office and the Ministry of Justice. It was last held as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State by Simon Baynes MP who took the office on 8 July 2022 after a cabinet reshuffle.
Responsibilities
The minister previously had the following responsibilities:[3]
For the Home Office:
- access to work, benefits and services
- detention
- returns
- foreign national offenders
- illegal immigration strategy
- overseas development aid
- Immigration Enforcement
- asylum
- resettlement
- casework
- animals (illegal wildlife trade)
- sponsorship of Border Force and immigration enforcement directorates
- supporting Lords Minister on corporate affairs, including the Spending Review and Budget
- COVID-19 impacts on business as usual function of asylum and returns systems, detention and Border Force
For the Ministry of Justice:
- foreign national offenders and removing barriers to removal
- immigration system legal reform
- joint Spending Review bids (working with Kit Malthouse)
- immigration crime sentencing reform
- detained fast track
- court and tribunal services and reform
- court and tribunal fees
- administrative justice
- supporting the Secretary of State on departmental finance
List of officeholders
| Name | Portrait | Term of office | Political party | Ministry | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Immigration Compliance and Courts | ||||||
| Chris Philp | 10 September 2019 | 16 September 2021 | Conservative | Johnson (I) | ||
| Johnson (II) | ||||||
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration | ||||||
| Tom Pursglove | 17 September 2021 | 7 July 2022 | Conservative | Johnson (II) | ||
| Simon Baynes | 8 July 2022 | 8 September 2022 | Conservative | |||
| Role re-formed out of Minister of State for Immigration Minister of State for Countering Illegal Migration | ||||||
| Michael Tomlinson | 7 December 2023 | Incumbent | Conservative | Sunak | ||
References
- "Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23" (PDF). 15 December 2022.
- "Pay and expenses for MPs". parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- "Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Immigration Compliance and the Courts) - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 2020-12-05.