UK Statistics Body Expresses Concern Over Sunak's Statement on Asylum Backlog Impacting Public Trust

The UK Statistics Authority has rebuked Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for claiming his government had cleared the backlog of asylum decisions by the end of 2023.

The authority warned this assertion could undermine public trust, pointing out that unresolved cases remained. Sunak, who prioritized stopping irregular migration, wants to restart a blocked plan to transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda.

While the government claimed it had processed a backlog of 92,000 cases from before a June 2022 immigration law change, Labour challenged this, noting over 4,500 were still pending.

Robert Chote, chair of the statistics body, criticized the government's exclusion of complex cases from the backlog count and their failure to provide journalists with supporting data. The Home Office has acknowledged Chote's concerns and reaffirms its dedication to transparency.