The Dwelling Workplace spent a report £5.38bn during the last 12 months on asylum – greater than a 3rd increased than the earlier 12 months.
Figures launched on Thursday confirmed spending on asylum rose by £1.43bn within the 2023/24 monetary 12 months to £5.38bn – 36% increased than in 2022/24 when £3.95bn was spent.
The most recent determine, protecting the Conservatives’ closing 12 months in authorities, is the very best quantity since comparable information started in 2010/11.
It’s greater than 4 occasions the equal determine for 2020/21 (£1.34bn) and practically 12 occasions the full a decade in the past in 2013/14 when it was £450m.
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New information has additionally discovered the variety of asylum claimants dwelling in accommodations has elevated since Labour got here into energy in July.
The Dwelling Workplace prices cowl all its spending on asylum, together with direct money help and lodging for asylum seekers, plus wider staffing and different associated migration and border exercise.
It doesn’t embody the price of operations responding to Channel crossings and intercepting migrants as they make the journey to the UK.
Nevertheless, the info suggests most migrants getting into the UK on small boats do then find yourself within the asylum system.
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Inns are getting used to accommodate asylum seekers as different lodging is full
Since Labour got here into energy, 19,988 folks have crossed the Channel on small boats to get to the UK illegally.
The most recent asylum spending information is from when the Conservatives had been in energy and comes as additional information revealed web migration to the UK fell by 20% within the 12 months to June 2024 from a report 906,000 the 12 months earlier than.
The Workplace for Nationwide Statistics (ONS) discovered web migration – the distinction been folks immigrating and emigrating – stands at an estimated 728,000.
Sir Keir Starmer stated his get together had inherited an “utter mess” from the Tories as he accused them of reforming insurance policies to “liberalise immigration” and having “lost control of the borders”.
He stated the federal government was “taking a different approach” by cracking down on any abuse of visa routes, setting out a plan to scale back immigration and “smash the gangs” taking folks throughout the Channel.
The prime minister stated the price of processing asylum claims must be introduced down, as does the usage of accommodations.
He stated the federal government has redeployed 1,000 Dwelling Workplace employees to course of asylum claims, and stated his authorities has returned 9,600 asylum seekers since July.
Variety of asylum seekers in accommodations soars
New Dwelling Workplace information has additionally revealed 106,181 asylum claimants had been in lodging on the finish of September. That is a rise of 9,539 from Could this 12 months.
Of these 106,181 asylum seekers, 35,651 had been being housed briefly in accommodations because of lack of different lodging on the finish of September, up by 6,066 from 29,585 on the finish of June.
It’s the first quarterly rise for a 12 months, though the determine remains to be a way beneath the current peak of 56,042 on the finish of September 2023.
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‘We do not know something about them’
Labour promised to shut asylum accommodations of their manifesto, however border safety minister Dame Angela Eagle final week stated extra asylum accommodations have opened because the get together got here into energy.
She instructed parliament there are at present 220 accommodations in use for asylum seekers, with seven having shut since July – however 14 extra have opened.
Dame Angela stated the rationale was the scenario left by the Conservatives, with 116,000 asylum seekers “stuck in a backlog” of greater than two years when Labour got here into energy in July.
She stated the system “ground to a standstill” as a result of the Tories had been busy pursuing the Rwanda coverage “which was doomed to failure”.
The minister stated Labour didn’t commit “to close all asylum hotels within four months”.
