Almost 129,000 awaiting initial asylum decision in UK, figures show

More than 128,000 people were waiting for an initial decision on their asylum application in the UK at the end of last year, figures show.

The number was down by more than a quarter on the record high reached in June last year, when more than 175,000 people were awaiting a decision.

But despite the fall, the backlog was described as "sky-high, no matter which way you slice it" by the Liberal Democrats, while the British Red Cross said thousands of people are "stuck in indefinite limbo."

The statistics published by the Home Office on Thursday also confirm the backlog of older asylum cases - which can equate to more than one person - in the system had not been cleared by the end of 2023, despite a claim to the contrary from the prime minister.

The latest figures show that as of December 31, there were 3,902 legacy cases - those where applications were made before the end of June 2022 - awaiting an initial decision.

In January, the Home Office was reprimanded by the statistics watchdog after the government was accused of lying about clearing part of the asylum backlog.

UK Statistics Authority chairman Robert Chote warned the "episode mayaffect public trust" as he outlined the findings of the body's investigation into complaints received about premier Rishi Sunak's claim ministers had "cleared" the outstanding cases in question.

Those figures, up to December 28, showed thousands of asylum cases were waiting to be dealt with despite the Home Office saying it had succeeded in meeting Sunak's target, prompting critics to accuse the government of playing "fast and loose" with the figures.