Afghans and Iranians are increasingly being denied asylum in Britain since Keir Starmer's government took power, an analysis of the UK's migration crackdown by The National reveals.
New data for last year shows refugees from the Middle East and North Africa being rejected at the highest rate in years as the UK battles to clear a backlog of asylum seekers living in hotels.
We have spent the summer and autumn reversing that damage, increasing asylum-decision making by 52 per cent in the last three months of 2024
Angela Eagle,
borders minister
Mr Starmer was warned he still has much to do to meet key pledges on immigration as new applications keep coming in, even as the system is overhauled to tighten the grounds for approving claims as well as raise the volumes processed.
Evidence also emerged that Syrians – who have had their claims put on ice since the fall of Bashar Al Assad's regime in early December – saw their acceptance rate in Britain falling to its lowest since 2012 even before rebels captured Damascus. People from Iraq, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco were also refused asylum more frequently than before, according to figures published on Thursday.
Afghans seeking refuge in the UK had overwhelmingly been granted protection in the years since 2021, when the Taliban took power amid a messy evacuation from Kabul that brought former British Army translators to Britain. But last year the rejection rate leapt from 0.7 to 18 per cent as more than 2,800 Afghans were denied.
The vast majority of the refusals came after Labour's general election victory in July. Iranians similarly saw their hopes dashed, with a rejection rate more than doubling to 29 per cent across last year, and higher still after Labour came to power.
In all, according to Home Office data analysed by The National, just over half of Middle East asylum seekers were granted protection in Britain last year, a figure that had been higher than 80 per cent as recently as 2021. People from North Africa have similarly seen their prospects decline.
'Restoring order'
Angela Eagle, a Home Office minister responsible for border security and asylum, said on Thursday that the Labour government was “restoring order” to the system. She said the rate of decision-making had “collapsed” in the last months of Conservative rule, pushing up the backlog of people waiting in hotels.
“We have spent the summer and autumn reversing that damage, increasing asylum-decision making by 52 per cent in the last three months of 2024, putting us on track to close more asylum hotels next month,” she said. “And we have already taken action to reverse some of the loosening of visa requirements introduced by the last government where we have found evidence of abuse.”
Before Mr Assad's downfall there was no similar rise in rejections for Syrians, although the 82 per cent approved was a lower figure than the near-universal acceptance rates during much of Syria's civil war. Many of the rest had their cases closed for administrative reasons rather than being formally refused.
The Refugee Council, a charity, said in a statement to The National that it was concerned about more than 7,000 Syrians now waiting in applicant limbo while the UK considers its policy towards the new regime.
“This is not only distressing for those affected, but also costly,” said the council's chief executive Enver Solomon. “We recognise the government still needs to determine the future situation in Syria, but it is in everybody’s best interest to find a faster way to move forward.”
Deportation push
Even rapid-fire rejections do not necessarily ease Labour's problems, instead creating a further backlog of people awaiting appeals or deportation and who may no longer receive Home Office housing. That number more than doubled to 60,000 last year.
The Home Office said it deported more than 2,300 people in the last quarter of last year after they failed to win a right to stay in the UK. However, thousands of people are still in Britain waiting to appeal their case, and the government “has so far struggled to reduce the number of asylum applicants in supported accommodation”, said Mihnea Cuibus, a researcher at Oxford University's Migration Observatory.
“The combination of more refusals, a long appeals backlog in the courts, and a moderate increase in asylum applications towards the end of the year have all contributed. As a result, the Labour Party has not so far made much progress towards its goal of ending the use of hotels for asylum seekers.”
Labour's election manifesto promised to hire more case workers and enforcement staff to end the asylum jam, using £230 million ($291.4 million) saved from clearing out hotels and ending the previous government's Rwanda deportation plan. It vowed to “turn the page” so that the asylum system “operates swiftly, firmly, and fairly, and the rules are properly enforced”.
With the anti-immigrant Reform UK party overtaking Labour in some opinion polls, Mr Starmer has sought to make a show of tough border policies. He recently announced plans to increase returns to Iraq and vowed to close what he called a legal loophole that allowed a family from Gaza to stay in the UK after applying to a scheme for Ukrainians.
Reform MP Rupert Lowe renewed the party's anti-immigrant rhetoric on Thursday by saying asylum seekers “broke into our country” when they crossed the English Channel on small boats. “Every single one should be detained and deported,” he said.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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PRISCILLA
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Sofia%20Coppola%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Cailee%20Spaeny%2C%20Jacob%20Elordi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The years Ramadan fell in May
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Scoreline
UAE 2-1 Saudi Arabia
UAE Mabkhout 21’, Khalil 59’
Saudi Al Abed (pen) 20’
Man of the match Ahmed Khalil (UAE)
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%20train%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%20and%20synchronous%20electric%20motor%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20power%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E800hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20torque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E950Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEight-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E25.7kWh%20lithium-ion%3Cbr%3E0-100km%2Fh%3A%203.4sec%3Cbr%3E0-200km%2Fh%3A%2011.4sec%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETop%20speed%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E312km%2Fh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20electric-only%20range%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2060km%20(claimed)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Q3%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh1.2m%20(estimate)%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
LIKELY TEAMS
South Africa
Faf du Plessis (captain), Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Lungi Ngidi.
India (from)
Virat Kohli (captain), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wkt), Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
A meeting of young minds
The 3,494 entries for the 2019 Sharjah Children Biennial come from:
435 – UAE
2,000 – China
808 – United Kingdom
165 – Argentina
38 – Lebanon
16 – Saudi Arabia
16 – Bangladesh
6 – Ireland
3 – Egypt
3 – France
2 – Sudan
1 – Kuwait
1 – Australia
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
PROFILE OF CURE.FIT
Started: July 2016
Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
Based: Bangalore, India
Sector: Health & wellness
Size: 500 employees
Investment: $250 million
Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)
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