The Hidden Rise of Modern Slavery in Britain

13 May 2026

Paul Francis

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A Problem That Never Really Went Away

There is a tendency to think of slavery as something distant, something rooted firmly in the past or confined to parts of the world far removed from everyday British life. It sits in history books, in documentaries, in the language of abolition and progress. It is not something most people associate with modern Britain, or with the streets, workplaces and systems that shape daily life.

Silhouette of a person sitting on the floor in a dim hallway, head in hands, creating a somber mood. Light filters from a door in the background.

And yet, the latest findings from the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner suggest something far more uncomfortable. Modern slavery is not only present in the UK, it is rising, and doing so at a pace that is becoming harder to ignore. Referrals of suspected victims have reached record levels, with more than 23,000 cases identified in 2025 alone. That figure has nearly doubled in just a few years, and the expectation is that it will continue to grow rather than stabilise.

This is not a sudden emergence. It is a problem that has been building quietly, largely out of sight, but increasingly woven into the fabric of the modern economy.

Not Somewhere Else, But Here

One of the most persistent misconceptions about modern slavery is that it exists elsewhere. That it is something imported, something external, something that happens beyond the borders of everyday British experience. The reality is far closer to home.

Exploitation linked to modern slavery has been identified across a wide range of sectors within the UK, including agriculture, construction, hospitality, car washes and domestic work. It exists in both urban and rural settings, often hidden in plain sight. It does not always announce itself in obvious ways. More often, it sits beneath the surface, embedded within legitimate industries and supply chains.

Perhaps most strikingly, a growing number of victims are British nationals. This is not solely an issue of migration or international trafficking, although those factors remain significant. It is also about vulnerability within the UK itself, about people who fall into situations where exploitation becomes possible.

That shift changes the conversation. It moves the issue from something that feels external to something that is undeniably domestic.

Vulnerability in a Changing Economy

At the centre of the rise is a familiar but deeply troubling pattern. Exploitation thrives where vulnerability exists. The cost of living crisis, rising housing pressures and increasing levels of financial instability have created conditions in which more people are exposed to risk. Debt, insecure employment and lack of stable accommodation can all make individuals more susceptible to coercion, manipulation or false promises of work.

A person wearing a gray knit hat sits against a dark wall, arms crossed over knees, head resting on arms, conveying a somber mood.

Modern slavery does not begin with chains. It often begins with an offer, an opportunity that appears to provide a way out of a difficult situation. That is what makes it so effective. It adapts to circumstances, finding points of weakness and building from there. As economic pressure increases, so too does the pool of people who can be targeted.

The Role of Technology in a New Form of Exploitation

What distinguishes the current moment from previous decades is the role of technology.

The Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner has highlighted how digital platforms, artificial intelligence and new forms of payment are reshaping how exploitation operates. Recruitment can now take place online, through social media or informal job networks that reach large numbers of people quickly. Communication between those orchestrating exploitation and those being exploited can happen remotely, reducing the need for direct physical control.

Financial transactions can be obscured through digital systems, making it harder to trace the flow of money. At the same time, technology allows for greater coordination, enabling exploitation to operate across locations and at a scale that would have been far more difficult in the past.

This is not a return to old forms of slavery. It is something that has evolved alongside the modern world, using its tools and infrastructure to remain hidden.

A System Struggling to Keep Pace

The UK does not lack laws or frameworks designed to address modern slavery. There are systems in place, from identification and referral mechanisms to enforcement and victim support structures. In theory, these provide a comprehensive response. In practice, the situation is more complex.

The Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner has raised concerns that the UK’s response has begun to stagnate. The scale of the problem is increasing, while the systems designed to address it are struggling to keep up. This is not necessarily due to a lack of intent, but to the challenge of responding to an issue that is both evolving and expanding.

Policing, support services and regulatory bodies are all operating within wider pressures. Resources are stretched, priorities are competing, and the nature of modern slavery itself makes it difficult to detect and disrupt.

The result is a gap between what exists on paper and what is experienced in reality.

The Part We Do Not See

Perhaps the most unsettling aspect of modern slavery is how much of it remains unseen.

The figures that are reported represent identified cases, situations where something has been recognised and brought into the system. They do not capture the full extent of the problem. Many victims never come forward. Many situations remain hidden, either through fear, lack of awareness or the subtlety of the conditions involved.

This means that the true scale is likely higher than any official number suggests.

It also means that modern slavery can exist alongside everyday life without being immediately visible. It can sit behind familiar settings, within industries that appear ordinary, sustained by systems that are not designed to expose it easily.

A Question About the Systems Around Us

What makes this issue particularly significant in the current moment is how closely it connects to broader questions about the systems people rely on. The UK has legal frameworks in place. It has institutions designed to protect vulnerable individuals. It has enforcement bodies tasked with identifying and addressing exploitation. None of these has disappeared.

And yet, the number of people being drawn into situations of exploitation is increasing.

This does not point to a single failure. It points to a more complex reality in which systems exist, but are being tested by changing conditions. Economic pressure creates vulnerability. Technology enables new forms of control. Enforcement struggles to keep pace with both.

In that space, exploitation finds room to grow.

A Problem That Demands Attention, Not Distance

It would be easier to treat modern slavery as an issue that exists at the edges, something separate from the everyday concerns of most people. But the evidence suggests that it is more closely connected to the conditions shaping modern Britain than many would expect.

It is tied to how people work, how they live, how they access opportunities and how they are supported when those systems do not function as intended.

That is what makes it difficult to ignore. Not simply the scale of the problem, but the way it reflects deeper pressures within society. Modern slavery has not reappeared. It has adapted.

And as it adapts, it raises a question that is harder to answer than it first appears. If the systems designed to prevent exploitation are in place, why is it still increasing?

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The History of Tariffs: Economic Lessons From The Past and Their Impact Today

Connor Banks
Mar 6, 2025
4 min read

Donald Trump in a suit with red tie speaks at podium with presidential seal. Blue backdrop features "Farm Bureau" logos. He appears expressive.

Tariffs have long been a weapon wielded by those in power, wrapped in the rhetoric of "protecting national interests" while, in reality, punishing ordinary people. Now, as President Donald Trump’s latest tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China come into force, history warns us what happens next: higher prices, lost jobs, and yet another economic squeeze on working people. While corporate elites will find ways to profit, it’s ordinary families who will be left footing the bill. This article explores the long history of tariffs, their economic impact, and what we can learn from past trade wars.

What Are Tariffs and How Do They Work?

A tariff is a tax imposed on imported goods, usually intended to protect domestic industries from foreign competition. Governments argue that tariffs encourage local production, but history shows they often lead to price increases, trade wars, and job losses.

Effects of Tariffs:

Increased prices for consumers.
Retaliatory measures from trading partners.
Disruptions to supply chains and global markets.
Higher production costs for businesses reliant on imports.

Tariffs and Power: A Tool for the Rich

The idea that tariffs help working people is one of the greatest economic deceptions of all time. Since the 16th century, ruling elites have used tariffs under the guise of economic protectionism, but their real beneficiaries have been wealthy industrialists and colonial powers. Britain, France, and Spain imposed tariffs not to defend their workers, but to enrich their empires, hoarding wealth while restricting economic mobility for the majority.

Historical Impacts:

Shielded the profits of domestic elites while keeping wages low.

Increased government coffers, but rarely redistributed wealth to the working class.

Fuelled economic resentment, from the American Revolution to modern-day trade wars.

The U.S. Tariff Policies: Dividing the Nation

America has always had an uneven relationship with tariffs. In the 19th century, protectionist tariffs benefited Northern manufacturers but devastated the South, which depended on cheap imports. The Tariff of 1828—nicknamed the "Tariff of Abominations"—lined the pockets of industrialists but crushed Southern farmers, leading to the Nullification Crisis as states revolted against Washington’s economic control. Later, the Morrill Tariff of 1861 helped fund the Civil War but exacerbated regional inequalities.

Key Consequences:

Cemented economic divides that contributed to the Civil War.
Made industrial magnates richer while rural workers suffered.
Exposed the lie that tariffs "help the country"—they help one side and cripple the other.

The Smoot-Hawley Disaster: A Lesson Never Learned

One of history’s greatest economic blunders, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, was meant to "protect American jobs." Instead, it helped wreck the global economy. The U.S. raised tariffs on over 20,000 imports, triggering retaliation from other nations. The result? A downward spiral of economic nationalism that deepened the Great Depression.

Devastating Effects:

Global trade collapsed, with U.S. exports dropping 61% between 1929 and 1933.
Mass redundancies and factory closures wiped out jobs.
Cemented tariffs as an economic disaster that benefits no one but economic isolationists.

The Post-War Shift: Why the World Abandoned Tariffs

After WWII, world leaders realised that tariffs were a fast track to economic ruin. The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT, 1947) and later the World Trade Organisation (WTO, 1995) sought to dismantle the protectionist barriers that fuelled past crises. Free trade agreements weren’t about corporate benevolence—they were an attempt to prevent another global collapse.

Economic Shifts:

Created an era of globalisation that, while imperfect, lifted millions out of poverty.

Industrialised nations flourished, but inequality persisted as corporations chased profits over fair wages.

Made economies dependent on international cooperation, raising the stakes of trade wars.

Trump’s Trade War: A Disaster in the Making

In 2018, Trump reignited the tariff war by imposing duties on $360 billion worth of Chinese goods. Predictably, China retaliated, hammering U.S. farmers and manufacturers. The working class paid the price, literally through higher costs on everything from groceries to cars.

Economic Fallout:

U.S. consumers were forced to absorb an extra $46 billion in costs annually.

Market uncertainty led to redundancies in farming and manufacturing.

Multinational corporations simply relocated, dodging tariffs while keeping profits intact.

The 2025 Tariff Plan: Who Pays This Time?

Fast forward to today. Trump has imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports and hiked duties on Chinese goods to 20%. Once again, the sales pitch is "American jobs first." And once again, the real winners will be multinational corporations finding loopholes while working families struggle.

Immediate Effects:

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq plunged, showing investor panic.
The Canadian dollar and Mexican peso tanked, increasing economic instability.
Canada retaliated with $107 billion in counter-tariffs, which will boomerang back on U.S. businesses and workers.
China added new restrictions on U.S. companies, disrupting supply chains.
Honda and other manufacturers have begun shifting operations—proving that corporations will adapt, but workers will suffer.

How Tariffs Impact Consumers and Workers

While Trump’s tariffs will undoubtedly make headlines, it’s the everyday consumer who bears the brunt.

The Price Hike Trap:

Groceries, electronics, and cars will become more expensive as import costs soar.

Businesses will pass tariff expenses onto workers, who already struggle with stagnant wages.

The Job Destruction Cycle:

Agriculture and manufacturing will take the biggest hit as retaliatory tariffs slash demand for U.S. exports.

Companies like Honda are shifting production, which means job relocations—not job creation.

Inflation and Cost of Living:

Tariffs act as a hidden tax, reducing real wages as the cost of living rises.

Workers will pay more for essentials while billionaires continue dodging taxes and exploiting cheap labour abroad.

Retirement and Economic Security:

Market instability from trade wars will devalue retirement savings.

Pensions and investment funds will take a hit as uncertainty spooks investors.

Key Takeaways: Who Really Wins?

Corporate Loopholes Keep the Rich Untouched – Large companies find ways to adapt, while small businesses and workers bear the cost.

Retaliation Is Always the Result – History proves that trade wars escalate, crippling the very industries tariffs claim to protect.

The Working Class Pays the Price – From higher grocery bills to job insecurity, tariffs always punish the many for the benefit of the few.

Protectionism is a Myth – Tariffs don’t "protect jobs"—they protect profits for the elite while leaving workers scrambling.

Conclusion: The People’s Response

If history has taught us anything, it’s that tariffs are a political distraction, not a solution. Today’s tariffs will hurt working-class people first and foremost—raising prices, jeopardising jobs, and weakening economic security. Workers, unions, and consumer groups must demand policies that truly support the economy—investment in public infrastructure, fair taxation on the rich, and a real industrial strategy that protects workers, not just profits. The fight against economic injustice starts here.