Bangladesh, Sept. 3 -- When the Labour government announced in February 2025 that the UKs Seasonal Worker Scheme would be extended for another five years, the decision was framed as a pragmatic compromise. Farmers had been lobbying hard for certainty in the wake of Brexit, labour shortages, and the governments controversial inheritance tax proposals. For them, the extension was a political victory and an economic necessity.

Yet behind the headlines, the decision sparked renewed outrage from campaigners and migrant workers themselves, who argue the scheme has become a pipeline of exploitation. The extension, far from fixing longstanding flaws, risks embedding systemic abuse into Britains food supply chain for the foreseeable future.

Laun...