SHOCKWAVE THROUGH BRITAIN: New Asylum Figures Reveal Scale of Crisis  The latest data has stunned the nation, exposing numbers far higher than expected — and sparking an immediate political firestorm. Here’s what the figures REALLY show.

The number of appeals migrants are launching to stay in Britain has rocketed.

Britain’s asylum crisis is intensifying (Image: Getty)

Britain’s asylum crisis has intensified, with a growing number of people refused sanctuary continuing to receive taxpayer-funded support. New figures published by the Ministry of Justice revealed 69,670 cases in the asylum appeals backlog at the end of September.

This was more than twice the number at the same point last year, when the figure stood at 34,234. New appeals submitted to the court soared by 240% from 4,818 in June to September to 16,398 in the same period this year. Those with an active asylum case – or appeal – are still entitled to receiving asylum support, including taxpayer-funded hotels.

About 70% of asylum seekers whose claims are rejected by the Home Office go on to launch legal challenges in a bid to have the decision reversed.

The number of asylum appeals is now also higher than the number of cases awaiting an initial decision.

This figure stood at 62,171 at the end of September, according to Home Office data published last month.

It means the appeals backlog has overtaken the backlog for initial claims for the first time since comparable data began in 2015.

Dr Mihnea Cuibus, a researcher at the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said: “While the Government has made some progress in reducing the initial decision backlog, more decisions and a higher refusal rate have led to a rapid increase in the appeals backlog.

“This underlines the challenges facing the Government in its goals of ending the use of hotels for asylum seekers and clearing backlogs.

“A lack of tribunal capacity makes it difficult to accelerate appeals decision-making. It remains to be seen to what extent recently announced reforms to the appeals process, which include creating a new body with adjudicators replacing judges, will help address the rising backlog.”

Enver Solomon, chief executive at the Refugee Council, said: “The Government may have brought down the backlog of initial asylum applications, but poor-quality decisions are pushing people straight into a new one.”

The charity estimated that the near-70,000 backlog of asylum appeal cases relates to about 90,000 people.

This is based on a ratio of 1.3 people per asylum case, as suggested by the Home Office data for applications.

An asylum case can refer to one person or to a group of people – typically a main applicant and their family members.

Mr Solomon added: “Right now, more than 90,000 men, women and children – twice as many as last year – are stuck in limbo, unable to move on with their lives as they wait to appeal their decision. Many of these people are in expensive and unsuitable hotels.

“People deserve a quick and accurate decision the first time around. If the Government focused on getting decisions right, they could reduce the number of refugees trapped in uncertainty after fleeing persecution and violence.

“And to clear the backlog and close asylum hotels next year, they should grant temporary protection – subject to rigorous security checks – to people from countries like Sudan and Afghanistan where ongoing conflicts mean they are almost certain to be recognised as refugees.”

A previously announced package of reforms aimed at making Britain a less attractive destination for illegal migrants included limiting to one the number of appeals asylum seekers whose claims are denied can make against their removal, rather than multiple challenges on different grounds.

Labour has pledged to no longer use asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament – which would be 2029, if not earlier.

But the latest data from the Home Office, published last month, showed an increase, from 32,041 at the end of June to 36,273 at the end of September.

The number was also up on the same point last year, when there were 35,628 asylum seekers in hotels.

The issue has come to the fore in recent times with protests outside hotels, and the Government has announced the use of alternative accommodation, including military barracks, as part of efforts to stop using hotels to temporarily house asylum seekers.