The backlog of asylum cases in the UK has hit a new record high, Home Office figures show, in a blow to Rishi Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats” and cut processing times.
A total of 175,457 people were waiting for an initial decision on an asylum application in the UK at the end of June, up 44 per cent from 122,213 a year earlier and the highest figure since records began in 2010.
