Anti-trafficking campaigners have accused the Home Office of a “muddled and inconsistent” strategy over modern slavery that is failing its victims, following the resignation of Britain’s first anti-slavery commissioner.

Kevin Hyland, appointed by Theresa May when she was home secretary, stepped down last week after nearly four years in the role as champion of her flagship policy to make prosecutions easier and protect victims of modern slavery, citing government interference.

His move comes amid growing criticism of the government’s approach to this complex crime. Earlier this month, a parliamentary committee said modern slavery was not fully understood by the government and that it could not establish whether its strategy was working. On Monday, MPs said traffickers were “winning” as they described vulnerable women being exploited on an “industrial scale” by trafficking gangs in the UK in pop-up brothels.

In a letter of resignation to the prime minister last week, Hyland said he was leaving with a “heavy heart”. He praised May’s leadership on the issue but said that independence had felt “somewhat discretionary from the Home Office rather than legally bestowed”.

Hyland, formerly head of the Metropolitan police’s human trafficking unit, was recently exonerated after an investigation into a complaint of alleged professional misconduct by an NGO. The Home Office found he had no case to answer.



Hyland has previously spoken out over Britain’s failure to support victims, as well as on “sub-standard” data recording and intelligence-gathering, and very low prosecution rates.

Groups representing victims of trafficking and slavery echoed concerns about the independence of the role.

Kevin Hyland resigned last week as Britain’s first anti-slavery commissioner. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA

“The government introduced the Modern Slavery Act, which is a positive thing,” said Aidan McQuade, the former director of Anti-Slavery International. “But it ignores the effect of the hostile environment, it ignores that it established quotas for deportation and it ignores that the 2016 Immigration Act created the offence of illegal working, when a lot of people trafficked to the UK have been illegally working.

“We don’t see a consistent policy approach to modern slavery across the UK. It is a muddled policy. At its core, there is a failure to understand that it is a human rights issue rather than a criminal justice issue.”

He said Hyland had worked to get modern slavery recognised within the sustainable development goals, as well as in other government departments.

“Broadly, his approach has been more diligent and more imaginative than I think the role was initially, which was as a criminal justice role.”

McQuade said the next commissioner would have to have a strong reputation for independence. “Someone … perhaps at a more senior level, such as a chief constable or a judge, or senior barrister, could bolster the perception of the role.”

One of the difficulties for the commissioner, campaigners said, was a provision written into the Modern Slavery Act permitting the home secretary to redact or omit details from reports, prior to publication, under certain circumstances. This could happen if the report was against the national interest, would jeopardise national security or compromise an investigation or prosecution.

Caroline Robinson, director of Focus on Labour Exploitation (Flex), said Hyland had been frustrated in the role.

“I don’t think it’s any secret, for instance, that he was trying to fight for the national referral mechanism [the process by which someone is recognised as a victim of modern slavery] to be reformed, and, in our view, very little was taken into account.”

Nick Grono, the CEO of the Freedom Fund, said Hyland had been an “outstanding” and respected commissioner. He was disappointed to see him go, he said.

Andrew Wallis, the CEO of anti-trafficking organisation Unseen, which runs a helpline for victims, said the post was no less independent than that of other commissioners, in that they are appointed by, and report to, a government department.



Wallis said: “Kevin was critical of a lot of things. He was critical of policing and that fed into the Home Office. If he wasn’t independent then that criticism would have been quashed.”

Hyland will begin a new job as the chief executive of ChildFund Ireland, an international development agency, later in the summer. He will retain a number of senior leadership positions within the modern slavery arena on boards as chairperson or senior adviser, both in the UK and internationally.