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

Home Office figures show number of asylum seekers waiting for initial decision up in June despite clampdown

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.