(Adnkronos) – Asylum applications in the United Kingdom between June 2025 and June 2026 totaled 85,89, a 21% decrease compared to the 108,585 applications in the same period of the previous year. This is the lowest figure since June 2022. 40% of these applications come from people who crossed the Channel in boats. This is according to data from the British Home Office. Arrivals by small boats across the Channel decreased by 23% in the same period. The Labour Party, a center-left party in government, argues that this demonstrates the effectiveness of its policy aimed at stopping crossings “upstream,” i.e., by intervening in European countries before migrants reach British shores. The decline in asylum applications has been accompanied by a reduction in the so-called asylum backlog, which is the number of people awaiting a first decision and those with pending appeals before a tribunal. The number of applicants awaiting a first decision decreased by 56% in the year up to June, falling to 40,168, the lowest level since March 2019.
Meanwhile, the number of asylum seekers temporarily housed in British hotels — another highly divisive issue and the focus of numerous protests — has halved compared to the previous year, reaching 16,021 people. Labour, in government since July 2024, has pledged to end the use of hotels for asylum seekers by the end of the current parliamentary term, scheduled for 2029. The decline in numbers has contributed to an 8% reduction in public spending on asylum in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing it to £4.36 billion. This expenditure includes direct financial support, accommodation, staff, and some border control activities. This marks the second consecutive annual decrease.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, confirmed by new Prime Minister Andy Burnham when he took office last month, stated that the data shows the government is “restoring control” of borders and the asylum system. “Just over two years into our mandate, the asylum application backlog has decreased, and the number of applicants housed in hotels is falling,” she added.
