Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said that government measures to reduce the number of asylum seekers are a vital step towards restoring order to Britain’s immigration system.
Commenting on new immigration figures, Cooper explained that Labour has overseen a sharp increase in returns of people refused asylum, alongside reduced costs and a smaller backlog of cases. She stressed that the government inherited a system in chaos and has moved quickly to strengthen border controls, increase enforcement and cut the use of asylum hotels.
Cooper highlighted that in the past year, returns of failed asylum seekers have risen by more than 30 per cent, while asylum costs have fallen by 11 per cent and the backlog has been reduced by almost a fifth.
She said forthcoming reforms to the appeals process would further improve the system, and pointed to stricter visa rules and higher skill requirements designed to bring down overall migration levels.
She also outlined future measures, including a joint pilot project with France, stronger counter-terrorism powers at the border and new asylum reforms later this year aimed at tackling persistent delays. Cooper said these steps were central to restoring order, control and fairness to the system.
The Home Office figures published on Thursday showed quarterly enforced returns rose slightly, from 2,314 in January–March 2025 to 2,323 in April–June.
In total, 9,072 enforced returns were recorded in the year to June 2025 – up 25 per cent from 7,253 the previous year and the highest annual figure since December 2018.
The Home Office is responsible for returning people with no legal right to stay in the UK. Returns are classed as enforced, voluntary – when individuals leave on their own, sometimes with support – or port returns, when people are refused entry and depart immediately.
