A charity set to pocket a whopping £385 million in Home Office cash by 2029 is rubbing salt in the wound with a new mobile app that sells Britain as “a beautiful country with great transport links” and “relatively high minimum wage” to migrants. The move has sparked outrage from Tory bigwigs Chris Philp and Lee Anderson, who slam Labour for “throwing up yet another neon welcome sign” and wrecking border strongholds.
Inside the ‘Just Good Work’ App
Migrant Help, backed by huge government funding, has teamed up with Fifty-Eight Global to build the Just Good Work app. Designed for asylum seekers, including Channel small boat arrivals and refugees, the app doubles as a job guide and a recruitment lure. It paints the UK in glowing colours, promoting easy travel links, decent wages, paid time off, and a welcoming vibe toward workers.
The app also dishes out cultural tips, like queuing etiquette (“It is considered very rude to push your way to the front”) and claims rural Britain is “less diverse” and “more isolated” compared to lively cities filled with entertainment and jobs in finance, tech, and healthcare.
Tory Politicians Blast Labour’s ‘Welcome Mat’
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp hit back hard: “The Home Office should not be funding or endorsing anything that markets Britain as a place to work, earn and settle while people are still in the asylum system.” He warned such schemes undermine efforts to deter illegal crossings. “Deterrence only works if illegal arrival carries real consequences, not state-backed help to put down roots.”
Reform UK MP Lee Anderson accused Labour of hypocrisy: “This app exposes the complete lies behind their promise to ‘smash the gangs’. Instead of stopping illegal crossings, they are using hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money to throw up yet another neon welcome sign for illegal migrants.”
Confusion Over Funding Raises Eyebrows
Adding fuel to the fire, the Home Office has issued conflicting statements about its role. Back in September 2023, officials claimed they “have continued to fund projects” including this very app. More recently, a spokesperson insisted, “The Home Office does not fund this app and has no involvement in its content.”
This contradiction has led to questions over transparency and accountability, given Migrant Help’s massive government haul and close ties to the app project. Critics argue this amounts to indirect government backing for messages that encourage migrants to see Britain as an appealing place to work and settle.
A Migrant Help spokesman defended their part, stressing their role is limited to explaining asylum laws, including the rule that most asylum seekers cannot work legally. “This information helps prevent individuals from being drawn into illegal work, where they risk exploitation by organised gangs,” they said.
Calls to Cut Funding Grow Louder
William Yarwood of the TaxPayers’ Alliance blasted the charity’s funding, pointing to soaring unemployment. “With unemployment at a four-year high, the focus should be on getting people already here into work, not using taxpayer money to bankroll Migrant Help and build pathways into the labour market for illegals,” he said.
Robert Bates, Research Director at the Centre for Migration Control, laid bare the chaotic Home Office: “It sums up the chaos that the Home Office is not just failing to stop the boats, but is actually funding the pull factors that drive illegal migration.”
Mixed Messages on Migrant Policy
The £385 million fund behind Migrant Help comes amid a fraught balancing act. On one hand, the charity provides vital advice and exploits protection to vulnerable asylum seekers and refugees. On the other, the app’s upbeat messaging about work and life in Britain clashes with government talk of shutting down illegal crossings.
Under current rules, migrants who’ve waited over 12 months for asylum decisions can apply to work, leaving roughly 16,500 eligible for the app’s job-finding features. Critics say the app’s glowing portrayal risks encouraging more dangerous Channel crossings by making Britain seem like an easy option.
The app’s mix of cultural tips and regional descriptions could be seen as helpful integration. Yet opponents warn it acts as a premature welcome mat, assuming asylum approval and permanent settlement – a dangerous message in today’s migration crackdown.
