Lewisham has become the first local authority in the UK to refuse to assist Home Office immigration raids, after a motion proposed by the Green administration was formally agreed at a meeting of the full council on Wednesday.
The motion, which includes a review of the council’s data-sharing and service agreements, pledges not to use council resources or public money for immigration enforcement “wherever legally possible”. Mayor of Lewisham, Liam Shrivastava, said the council would “defend our migrant workers”.
“Lewisham Council refuses to assist Home Office immigration raids, citing 'theatre of cruelty', becoming first UK local authority to do so.”
The decision comes as Home Office data, obtained under freedom of information by the grassroots organisation Lewisham Anti-Raids and reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, shows that the borough has become a “major focus” for immigration enforcement. The data reveals 177 raids occurred in the SE13 area during 2025 alone.
Greens councillor Hau-Yu Tam, who proposed the motion, described immigration enforcement operations as “political theatre” and “a theatre of cruelty”. She cited a raid in January 2026 at a nail bar in Catford and a car wash in Brockley, which was attended by the then immigration minister Mike Tapp and a Sky News film crew. “Despite the resources, despite the spectacle, only two people were arrested and both [were] later released on bail,” Tam said. “A few months later, a nail bar was raided again, and again a few days after.” She added that, according to local accounts, Chinese women workers were “filmed, handcuffed and intimidated by a large officer team” but not arrested.
“That is political theatre. That is a theatre of cruelty,” Tam said. “And if the purpose of race is simply enforcement … there’s no evidence these operations are making our community safer. Our immigration system is broken.”
A Home Office spokesperson said that while immigration enforcement visits are intelligence led, they make “no apology” for joining local authorities to enable information sharing and “fighting criminals who fuel immigration crime”.
According to Home Office figures, immigration enforcement teams carried out 2,715 illegal working visits and raids in London during 2025, resulting in 2,172 arrests – up from 2,008 raids the previous year.
At the council meeting, the Labour opposition attempted to introduce an amendment relating to modern slavery, but it was voted down. Labour councillor Andre Bourne said: “We are in support of this motion; however, we are making amendments to strengthen it – we are here to support your motion.”
Lewisham became a ‘Borough of Sanctuary’ in recognition of its work supporting refugees and migrants, though the full implications of the new policy remain unclear.