UK asylum applications' backlog rises to record high, reveal official figures

The United Kingdom's (UK) backlog of asylum applications awaiting a decision has hit a record high in the year to June, the news agency Reuters reported on Thursday (August 24) citing official figures. The interior ministry said that 78,768 applications were made by people who arrived in the country illegally in the 12 months to June, up 19% than the previous year.

The backlog of asylums was just over 134,000, or 175,457 once dependents are included. This adds more pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who in December last year pledged to clear the initial backlog of cases by the end of this year. Around 80% of those have been waiting for more than six months.

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Earlier, the government had said that in the year to June, there were 23,702 initial decisions made on asylum applications, up 61 per cent on the previous year. Of those, 71 per cent were grants of refugee status, humanitarian protection, or alternative forms of leave.

Committed to reducing levels of immigration: Govt

Prime Minister Sunak made cracking down on illegal migration a priority before the national election which is expected next year, pitching his Conservative party leaders as being tougher on the issue than the opposition.

Reuters reported that seeking to deter people from arriving in the UK, the government is moving migrants onto disused military sites and barges and intends to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Speaking to BBC, an interior ministry spokesperson said the ministry remained committed to reducing levels of immigration, adding that the system was working to encourage the "best and the brightest" to come to the country.

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