Labour fixing the immigration and asylum system

Labour has been fixing the broken immigration and asylum system left behind by the Tories. Commenting on the most recent figures, Home Secretary Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, said:

“We inherited a broken immigration and asylum system that the previous Government left in chaos. Since coming to office we have strengthened Britain’s visa and immigration controls, cut asylum costs and sharply increased enforcement and returns, as today’s figures show.

“The action we have taken in the last 12 months - increasing returns of failed asylum seekers by over 30%, cutting asylum costs by 11%, reducing the backlog by 18% and our forthcoming plans to overhaul the failing asylum appeal system - are crucial steps to restoring order, and putting an end to the chaotic use of asylum hotels that we inherited from the previous government.

“At the same time, we are bringing legal migration back under control, with a 48% reduction in work visas this year - and further stronger visa controls and higher skill requirements introduced through our White Paper expected to bring those overall numbers down further.

“As we roll out further reforms, including the new pilot with France, new counter terror powers to strengthen border security, and new asylum reforms later this year (including reforms to speed up the persistent delays in the appeals system), we will continue to take the serious steps required to restore order, control and fairness to the system and to continue building the foundations of a new and stronger approach.”