ASYLUM CHAOS: CLAIMS GO UP

THE asylum system has been brought back from the brink of collapse, experts said - despite a record number of new claims.

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An unprecedented 111,000 people claimed asylum in the year to June, a 14% year-on-year rise.

Labour's borders minister Dame Angela Eagle told the Mirror the government "has taken decisive action to fix the mess left behind", as she accused the Tories and Reform of "offering anger but no answers".

The number of migrants living in hotels increased by 8% in PM Keir Starmer’s first year after the July 2024 general election. But the asylum backlog dropped below 100,000 for the first time in four years after the Home Office, under Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, ramped up processing.

The backlog stands at over 70,000 cases, down by 18% from a year earlier and its lowest since September 2021.