LONDON — The number of migrants who entered Britain illegally in small boats in 2023 was 29,437, down around 36% on the previous year, according to preliminary government figures.
In 2022, a record 45,775 people were spotted arriving on beaches in southern England in small boats after making the perilous journey across the English Channel, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. .
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made “stopping the ships” one of his top five priorities, as he seeks to revive plans to send people who entered the UK illegally to Rwanda after being blocked by the courts.
The UK currently spends more than £3 billion a year processing asylum applications, with housing costs for migrants awaiting decisions in hotels and other accommodation amounting to around £8 million a day.
The backlog of asylum applications awaiting decisions reached a record high of just over 134,000 in the year to June, the highest number of applicants in the past 20 years.
The Home Office announced on Monday that the government had delivered on a promise made by Mr Sunak in December 2022 to clear the backlog of 92,000 asylum applications by the end of 2023.
More than 112,000 asylum applications were processed in 2023, with an approval rate of 67%, lower than 76% in 2022.
“By resolving historic asylum backlogs, we will save taxpayers millions of pounds in expensive hotel bills, reduce pressure on public services and ensure that the most vulnerable people receive the support they deserve. “We are making sure that we receive the best possible treatment,” Sunak said in a statement.
“But we must not be complacent. That is why I am focused on fulfilling my promise to stop the boats and take off the planes to Rwanda.”
