Home secretary Yvette Cooper said that the new changes would mean that for the very first time, employment checks would be extended to cover businesses hiring gig economy and zero-hours workers in sectors such as construction, food delivery, beauty salons and courier services.

Businesses failing to carry out checks face hefty penalties already in place for those hiring illegal workers in traditional employment roles.

This includes fines of up to £60,000 per worker, business closures, director bans and prison sentences of up to five years.

The UK government’s Right to Work checks were primarily designed for employers to verify the right to work of employees, not self-employed individuals.

Currently, thousands of companies that use these flexible arrangements are not legally required to verify the status of self-employed workers.

The Home Office stated that the change would be made possible by amending the government’s Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which Parliament is currently considering.

The department stated that a full consultation with businesses on implementing the checks would follow.

It stated that checks would take just minutes to confirm someone’s immigration status and allow them to work legally in the UK.

The Home Office will provide a checking service, allowing businesses to utilise digital ID verification technology to support the process. There is also support in place for employers with enquiries about the process.

Its crackdown on illegal working forms a critical part of the government’s plan to strengthen the entire immigration system.