Rishi Sunak achieves UK asylum target success
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has declared success in meeting his target to clear the country’s “legacy” asylum backlog by the end of 2023. The UK Home Office reported processing 112,000 asylum cases in the past year, exceeding Sunak’s initial target of 92,000 applications pending at the end of 2022. The government claims that fundamental changes to the decision-making process and improved efficiency led to the highest annual number of “substantive” asylum decisions since 2002.
Sunak emphasized his determination to end the burden of illegal migration and highlighted actions taken to stop boats, return hotels to local communities, and deter illegal immigration. While the Opposition Labour Party accused the government of misleading the public, the Home Office stated that all cases in the “legacy backlog” had been reviewed, with 112,000 decisions made overall. Sunak’s focus on curbing migration figures aligns with the upcoming general election in the UK, emphasizing his government’s efforts to disrupt small boat arrivals and address various immigration-related issues.
