Renting to illegal immigrants to become a criminal offence

Renting accommodation to illegal immigrants is to become an offence from December, Amber Rudd has announced.

Speaking at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, the home secretary said: "Today I'm announcing that from December, landlords that knowingly rent out property to people who have no right to be here will be committing a criminal offence - they could go to prison."

Ms Rudd also announced that from December, immigration checks will be a mandatory requirement for people who want to obtain a licence to drive a taxi.

From next autumn, banks will also have to carry out regular checks to ensure they are not providing essential banking service to illegal migrants.

The home secretary also said the government will launch a consultation on whether to make it more difficult for companies to hire foreign workers.