Asylum system needs ‘complete overhaul,’ charities warn – follow live

The eye-wateringly expensive ‘gold’ wallpaper used by Boris Johnson in an infamous makeover of his Downing Street flat when he was prime minister is already peeling off, says Jeremy Hunt.

Mr Johnson hit the headlines in April last year when it emerged that he and his wife Carrie spent tens of thousands of pounds on a luxury revamp of the flat above No 11 Downing Street.

It later came to light that the work, inspired by upmarket interior eco designer Lulu Lytle, had been paid in part by Lord Brownlow, a Conservative Party peer, sparking claims that Mr Johnson broke spending rules, although he was eventually cleared by his “independent” adviser.

Read the full story from our reporter, Matt Mathers:

Amnesty International called for a “complete overhaul” of the asylum and immigration system, providing safe routes for people seeking to come to Britain, faster processing of claims and an end to the plan to send migrants to Rwanda.

The organisation’s refugee and migrant rights director, Steve Valdez-Symonds, said: “On the anniversary of the tragic mass drownings in the Channel, these figures show the UK’s system for processing asylum claims remains in complete disarray.

“The totally unacceptable asylum backlog is the inevitable result of government policy that has expended huge resources and money on the disastrous Rwanda deal and other damaging distractions from the main job at hand – simply dealing with people’s claims as fairly and efficiently as possible.”

Downing Street insisted Rishi Sunak wants to bring overall immigration levels down after net migration to the UK climbed to a record half a million.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said “unprecedented and unique circumstances” had caused the rise.

He said home office statistics show the UK helped to safety more than 144,000 people from Hong Kong, 144,600 from Ukraine and 22,000 from Afghanistan.

“The prime minister is fully committed to bringing overall numbers down,” the spokesman said.

“There are some unprecedented and unique circumstances which are having a significant impact on these statistics.

“The prime minister has said he wants net migration to reduce, he has not put a specific timeframe on that.”

Marley Morris, IPPR associate director for migration, trade and communities, said the asylum system is in “serious peril.”

“The new migration statistics today tell two stories about immigration to the UK. On the one hand, higher net migration is driven in large part by rising student numbers and the new Ukraine humanitarian routes – reflecting the generosity of the British public in opening their homes in exceptional numbers to welcome Ukrainians escaping the Russian invasion.

“On the other hand, the figures also show an asylum system in serious peril, with the backlog of claims growing further. Urgent action is needed to tackle the backlog and to work with local authorities to find suitable accommodation for asylum applicants.

“Today also marks one year on from the tragic deaths of 32 people in the Channel. With numbers of small boats crossing the Channel continuing to rise, the government must work closely with France and the EU to stop the dangerous crossings and provide safe and legal alternatives.”

Steve Crawshaw, director of policy and advocacy at Freedom from Torture, said: “Today’s immigration statistics paint a picture of a system in crisis – insufficient decisions being made, a bigger backlog and more refugees held in limbo. This government has run the asylum system into the ground and is using their failure to justify more and more extreme policies.

“A year on from the disaster that claimed 32 lives in the Channel, this government’s abrogation of responsibility for those seeking safety in this country is unconscionable. The government must end their deliberate neglect of the asylum system, repeal their and urgently expand safe routes to prevent further tragedies.”

Maria Stephens, head of campaigns at refugee action, said: “Snowballing delays in processing asylum claims are destroying lives.

“Waiting in limbo for a decision is catastrophic for the mental health of people seeking asylum, who must live in poverty and isolation.

“It’s time ministers stopped blowing taxpayers money on cruel and ineffective deterrence policies such as its awful deal with Rwanda and fix the asylum system they’ve broken.“And the Government must give people the right to work – which would improve the wellbeing of people in the system, allow businesses to hire staff, and save the taxpayer £330 million a year.”

Rishi Sunak is under intense pressure from Tory MPs over a huge leap in net migration, which has climbed to a record half a million, according to official figures.

Some 504,000 more people are estimated to have moved to the UK than left in the 12 months to June 2022 – up sharply from 173,000 in the year to June 2021.

Unsurprisingly, Downing Street is keen to leap on the conclusion of the Office for National Statistics that “unprecedented world events” lie behind the sudden increase.

The prime minister’s spokesman said they “naturally reflect” the UK’s decision to open its doors to large numbers of refugees from Ukraine, Hong Kong and Afghanistan.

He said Mr Sunak “is fully committed to bringing overall numbers down”. However, asked when that will happen, he added: “He has not put a specific timeframe on that.”

The answer may not be good enough for Conservatives worried that rising immigration – and the small boats crisis in the Channel – are an opening for Nigel Farage to prise away Tory voters at the next general election.