Photo credit: Kent Online
A record number of asylum seekers have been allowed to stay in Britain after claiming they are gay, official figures have revealed.
DailyMail.com reports that the figure almost trebled last year, from 762 in 2022 to 2133 in 2023, of people who could demonstrate that returning to their home countries would be inhumane because of their sexuality.
Under the European Convention on Human Rights, people who may be persecuted because of their sexual orientation can claim asylum in the UK.
This year’s rise may be attributed to a backlog in applications created by the pandemic. But some sceptics argue that this is some people trying to game the system.
The following countries saw a 100 per cent rise in successful claims: Afghanistan, El Salvador, Syria, Eritrea, Myanmar (Burma), Libya, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Yemen.
Meanwhile, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Bangladesh had the largest number of successful applicants.
Albania saw less than ten per cent of their application were successful, making it the most rejected country.
In 2023, the figure from January 1 to December 31 was 29,437 on 602 boats. In the previous year, 1,100 boats made it across the Channel carrying some 45,755 people—the highest number of migrants to make it across the Channel.
Civil servants at the department are said to be “underwhelmed” by the government’s proposals to tackle Channel crossings and reduce illegal migration to the UK. Meanwhile, nine boats carrying 572 migrants were intercepted crossing the Channel last Saturday.
The number of migrants who have arrived this year is 32,691, up 22 per cent from last year. However, the number is 18 per cent less than recorded by November 2022 (39,929).
Some in the Home Office have reportedly claimed that “nobody” understands how the new Border Security Command will work, and department officials are discouraged by the strategy outlined last week.
According to the i newspaper, experts have warned that smugglers will adjust to any changes and that demand for gangs’ services is not slowing. The damning revelation will heap further pressure on Labour to get a grip on the small boats crisis, which saw its busiest fortnight on the Channel so far this year, with the number of migrants reaching Britain since the new Government took office topping 18,000.
A Home Office spokesman said: “It is important we clear through te asylum backlog and provide protection to individuals fleeing persecution.
“Our processes are underpinned by a robust framework of safeguards and quality checks, ensuring that claims are properly considered, decisions are sound, and that protection is granted to those who genuinely need it.”
