IPPR: Progress on asylum backlog welcome, but challenges remain on small boats and hotels (opens in new tab)

The asylum backlog has fallen from around 62,000 cases in September to around 49,000 cases at the end of December 2025. This is now well below half the peak in summer 2023. There has also been a slight fall in hotel use: around 31,000 people were in hotels at the end of the year, 15 per cent lower than at the end of September 2025 but similar to the figure for June 2024.The total number of people claiming asylum in 2025 was just over 100,000, slightly lower than the previous year but still on...