Published on
27/08/2026 - 16:46 GMT+2
UK asylum applications fell by more than a fifth annually, government figures showed on Thursday, as ministers grapple with the politically contentious issue and reducing record-high recent numbers alongside asylum spending.
A total of 85,891 people applied for asylum in Britain in the 12 months to the end of June, down 21% year-on-year and the lowest total since the year to June 2022, according to interior ministry statistics.
Migrants who had crossed the English Channel in small boats, a highly controversial route that has fuelled the rise of the UK far right, accounted for 40% of the applications in the most recent period.
