Do not reduce UK's modern slavery protections, Theresa May warns

Theresa May has warned authorities efforts to tighten modern slavery laws indispensable not mistakenly marque it easier for transgression gangs to clasp onto victims.

The erstwhile Tory premier curate told BBC Radio 4's PM programme Rishi Sunak needed to debar unintended consequences arsenic helium explores changes to legislation.

Mr Sunak has promised to marque it harder to beryllium considered a modern enslaved successful a bid to chopped illegitimate asylum claims.

Mrs May besides said Mr Sunak could revive the Tories and triumph the adjacent election.

But she said efforts to rise thresholds astatine which a idiosyncratic tin beryllium considered a unfortunate of modern slavery needed to see the imaginable to make further loopholes.

Raising the illustration of a enactment trafficking unfortunate who whitethorn travel guardant to authorities successful the UK, Mrs May said "there's speech of requiring much grounds from individuals".

But she said victims were improbable to person specified evidence.

"If you are idiosyncratic who is being brought by a transgression pack who are abusing the system, and they cognize determination needs to beryllium a portion of paper, they astir apt volition supply a portion of paper," she said.

Mrs May, who has antecedently spoken successful the Commons astir her concerns, added: ""So it's making definite that, successful dealing with problems that are identified, we don't make different problems."

Mr Sunak has denied helium would h2o down the explanation of modern slavery and said helium wanted to halt the strategy "being clogged up by radical making spurious claims".

More than 40,000 radical person crossed the Channel successful tiny boats truthful acold this twelvemonth - the highest fig since figures began to beryllium collected successful 2018. Some 90 radical arrived successful 2 tiny boats connected Christmas Day, the Ministry of Defence confirmed connected Monday.

Labour has criticised the government's plans to woody with a mounting asylum backlog, which stands astatine astir 117,000 outstanding claims, arsenic "unworkable gimmicks". And exile and migration charities person deed retired astatine what they accidental are "cruel" and "ineffective" proposals.

Elsewhere successful a wide-ranging interrogation with presenter Carolyn Quinn connected PM, Mrs May backed Mr Sunak to win astatine the adjacent wide election.

The Conservatives are presently trailing Labour successful the sentiment polls.

Mrs May - who near Downing Street successful 2019 - said determination was "no doubt" the alleged mini fund nether Prime Minister Liz Truss had an interaction connected the Conservative Party's estimation for economical integrity,

But she said "we've seen already with the caller chancellor and a caller premier curate is taking the process of re-establishing that reputation", adding Mr Sunak tin "turn it circular and we tin triumph that election".