Labour's first year sees 111,000 asylum claims

When it rains for Sir Keir Starmer, it pours. Now it has emerged that during the Labour lot’s first year in office to June 2025, a whopping 111,000 people claimed asylum in the UK amid a surge in small boat crossings – up by a staggering 14 per cent on the previous 12 months. So much for smashing the gangs, eh?

Figures reveal that the numbers of those claiming asylum during this period was 8 per cent greater than the last asylum claim peak in 2002. Half of those looking for asylum entered the UK irregularly: four in ten arrived by small boat while an additional one in ten arrived via lorries, shipping containers or without the correct documents. Good heavens…

The areas with the highest proportions of asylum seekers included ‘red wall’ areas, such as England’s North West and North East wh