Kremlin threatens British targets inside and outside Ukraine and says UK and France bear ‘direct responsibility’ for Ukrainian strikes on Russia
Here’s a summary of the quarterly figures released by the Home Office on asylum (these all relate to the position as of June, so does not include any of Andy Burnham’s tenure):
16,021 asylum seekers were housed temporarily in UK hotels, down 50% year-on-year from 32,041.
85,891 people applied for asylum in the UK, down 21% from 108,585 in the previous year.
Home Office spending on asylum in the UK decreased to £4.36bn in 2025-26, down 8% from £4.76bn in 2024-25.
40,168 people were waiting for an initial decision on an asylum application, down 56% from 90,812 a year earlier.
42,394 people were granted refugee protection or another kind of leave to stay in the UK in the year to June, after an initial decision on their asylum claim. This is down 21% from 53,480 grants in the previous year.
A little over two years into office and the asylum backlog is down, the number of asylum seekers in hotels is falling, illegal working arrests are at record levels, and deportations and returns are up markedly.
Small boats numbers are also now falling, but we are not complacent and there is more we must do.
