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The Guardian - UK

Politics

Rajeev Syal Home affairs editor

Lack of legal aid lawyers poses threat to Starmer’s asylum pledge, experts say

Starmer Shabana Mahmood

Application for settlement in the UK — The asylum tribunal system is facing a dearth of qualified lawyers after cuts to legal aid. Photograph: Mykhailo Polenok/Alamy

Keir Starmer’s pledge to clear the asylum backlog is under threat because of a shortage of legal aid solicitors, experts have said.

More than 54,000 people seeking asylum or appealing against a refusal in a tribunal in England and Wales this year – 57% of the total – were unable to access a legal aid lawyer, figures show.

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