The UK government defended its assertion of fulfilling a commitment to process asylum claims, countering opponents who cited government figures suggesting the target had not been achieved.
As the UK anticipates an upcoming election in which immigration policy is poised to be a prominent campaign topic, the government claimed on Monday to have successfully addressed a pledge by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. This commitment aimed to clear the 'legacy backlog' of 92,000 asylum claims, filed before a June 2022 immigration law amendment by the end of 2023.
However, the opposition Labour Party contested the government's statement, referencing official statistics revealing that, as of December 28, 4,537 asylum applicants from the legacy backlog were still awaiting an initial decision.
Home Secretary James Cleverly defended the government's position in a BBC interview, stating that a small number of cases require further examination due to their complexity following the initial adjudication process.
Contrary to the government's claim, official figures disclosed that, including the remaining legacy cases, the overall backlog had increased to 98,599.
