UK asylum backlog hits record high

LONDON, Aug 24 (Reuters) – The backlog of asylum applications in Britain awaiting a decision reached a record high in the year to June and the number of applications was the highest in two decades, according to official figures published on Thursday, in a hard blow for the Government.

The Ministry of the Interior, or Ministry of the Interior, said 78,768 asylum applications were submitted by people who arrived in the country illegally in the 12 months to June, up 19% from the previous year.

The backlog in asylum claims was just over 134,000, or 175,457 after dependents are included, adding to the pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who in December pledged to clear initial backlog of cases by the end of this year. About 80% of them have been waiting for more than six months.

Sunak has made the fight against illegal immigration a priority ahead of next year’s national elections, portraying his Conservatives as tougher on the issue than the opposition Labor Party, which enjoys a strong lead in opinion polls. .

To discourage people from coming to Britain, the government is moving migrants to military sites and disused barges and intends to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, though that plan has stalled in court.

“This is a disastrous record for the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary,” said Stephen Kinnock, Labor Party spokesman for immigration.

“With this level of mismanagement, there is very little prospect of reducing the incredibly high hotel room bill for all those left in limbo, currently costing the UK taxpayer £6m a day.”

The government said 23,702 initial decisions on asylum claims were made in the year to June, 61% more than the previous year. Of these, 71% were grants of refugee status, humanitarian protection or alternative forms of leave.

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