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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Rajeev Syal Home affairs editor

UK asylum backlog rose before election despite Sunak pledge to cut numbers

United Kingdom Home Office ​​Rishi Sunak Sir Keir Starmer
Rishi Sunak speaking at a lectern with the slogan 'stop the boats' on it
Rishi Sunak giving an update on his plan to ‘stop the boats’ last December. Photograph: WPA/Getty Images

The UK’s asylum backlog has crept upwards in 2024, statistics show, despite pledges by the last government to drive numbers down.

Home Office figures show 118,882 people were waiting for an initial decision on asylum applications in the UK at the end of June, up slightly from the 118,329 waiting at the end of March.

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