The role of the independent watchdog overseeing government anti-slavery policy has been left vacant for more than 10 months at the same time as cases of suspected trafficking have hit an all-time high, it has emerged.
Dame Sara Thornton, the previous anti-slavery commissioner, resigned on 30 April last year, but has not been replaced by the home secretary, Suella Braverman, despite a legal requirement for the post to be filled.
Meanwhile, new Home Office statistics have revealed that 21,518 potential victims of trafficking, slavery and forced labour were reported in 2022 – an all-time high.
Of those, 16,938 gave their consent to be referred by authorities via the national referral mechanism (NRM), up 33% from the previous year and the highest number on record since the NRM began in 2009.
The records further show that 4,580 reports on potential victims, who did not provide consent for a referral or were too young to do so, were reported via the duty to notify (DtN) process – also the highest number since that scheme opened in 2015.
Thornton, now a professor of modern slavery policy at the University of Nottingham, left the commissioner role at the end of her three-year tenure. The vacant position was advertised in December 2021 and the final interviews took place on 14 April last year, but no announcement of an appointment was forthcoming.
Under the Modern Slavery Act, the commissioner has a “UK-wide remit to encourage good practice in the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of modern slavery offences and the identification of victims”.
In January, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson, Alistair Carmichael, tabled a bill that could enable MPs to appoint a new commissioner, in an attempt to force the home secretary’s hand. It did not, however, win the backing of the government.
Carmichael, a former cabinet minister, said the government was seeking to avoid scrutiny of its failures. He said: “Ministers should hang their heads in shame. They are failing vulnerable people and letting modern slavery run riot across the country. Britain has a proud tradition of protecting refugees and yet the government’s plans are flawed and callous.
“These record increases highlight the Conservatives’ absolute failure to get a grip on the real issues and instead prefer to throw around dangerous rhetoric.
“What’s worse is that they have refused to appoint a new anti-slavery commissioner for nearly a year now. This heartless government is watching on while this crisis spirals out of control. We need urgent action now, starting with finally appointing a new commissioner.”
After stepping down from her role, Thornton made public her previously private warnings to the then home secretary, Priti Patel, about the nationality and borders bill that was designed to rid the system of pull factors by threatening to send people to Rwanda.
Since then, the government has admitted that the immigration system is broken and ministers have faced a legal battle to make their Rwanda initiative work. No one has been deported to Rwanda since the bill was made law.
Braverman has since proposed a bill under which the government would have the right to criminalise, detain and deport asylum seekers who arrive in the country illegally, particularly through small boats crossing the Channel.
The commissioner role was advertised for a second time on 23 February but the Home Office has not put a deadline on selecting a candidate.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Modern slavery is a barbaric crime and we remain committed to stamping it out. We provide support to thousands of victims each year, as well as working with a wide range of partners to prevent this terrible crime from happening in the first place.
“However, it is clear people are abusing our system when they have no right to be here.”
