Home Office criticised by statistics watchdog over claim it 'cleared' asylum backlog

The Home Office has been criticised by the statistics watchdog over its claims it had "cleared" the asylum backlog.

The UK Statistics Authority tweeted on Thursday that the Home Office's earlier claims to have cleared a "legacy" backlog of 92,000 applications "may affect public trust".

Last year, the prime minister pledged to clear what is called the "legacy backlog", which refers to people who had claimed asylum before June 2022, by the end of 2023.

Earlier in January, Rishi Sunak claimed he had "cleared" the asylum backlog, but opponents branded this claim a "barefaced lie" when it emerged that more than 4,500 legacy cases remained outstanding.

Such cases typically involve “asylum seekers presenting as children – where age verification is taking place; those with serious medical issues; or those with suspected past convictions, where checks may reveal criminality that would bar asylum”, the Home Office said.

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Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael raised the concerns with the watchdog.

In response, the chairman of the watchdog Sir Robert Chote said the claims were likely to have been misinterpreted by the average member of the public as having been "eliminated entirely"

"So it is not surprising that the Government’s claim has been greeted with scepticism and that some people may feel misled.

"It highlights the need for ministers and advisers to think carefully about how a reasonable person would interpret a quantitative claim of the sort and to consult the statistical professionals in their department".

Labour's Shadow Immigration Minister Stephen Kinnock also accused the government of "repeatedly lying about the asylum backlog".

He said: "Once again he has been caught red handed. The Prime Minister’s addiction to playing fast and loose with the facts is the behaviour of someone not fit for public office. "He has not cleared the backlog - there are 100,000 people still awaiting a decision. He should adopt Labour's backlog clearance plan, and deliver the security partnership we need to stop the boats getting in the water in the first place."

While the legacy backlog was processed, another backlog of 94,000 new cases has also built up.

There are also concerns around 17,316 asylum applications which were withdrawn in the year to September 2023 - a sharp rise which was more than four times the number for the previous year when there were 4,260.

Claims can be withdrawn by the Home Office if a person fails to turn up for interviews, complete questionnaires on time, or changed their address without telling the department.

Campaigners like Natasha Tsangarides of Freedom from Torture said "we need answers" from the government as to where these people are.

2023 was the second highest year on record for small boat crossings, down from a record high in 2022 of 45,755.

A total of 621 migrants have crossed the channel in small boats so far this year.

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