Local Economy & Community
Restoring the British high street and tackling suspicious businesses linked to organised crime.
Restore the British High Street
- Establish a new multi-agency unit to investigate suspicious businesses — particularly cash-heavy, clone-like chains of barbers, vape shops, dessert cafes, and phone repair stalls with unclear ownership and inconsistent trading.
- Focus on those with no real footfall, high turnover, or known links to organised crime, visa overstays, or laundering.
- Work with immigration enforcement to review schemes used to open front businesses — often as a cover for illegal immigration or modern slavery.
- HMRC to conduct routine tax compliance audits on certain business categories with known abuse potential.
- Immigration enforcement should be empowered to investigate suspicious businesses and foreign beggars — deporting those who are here illegally.