The Office for National Statistics said that it was too early to tell if the 10 per cent drop in net migration year-on-year was the start of a permanent trend, but pointed to signs that fewer people are applying to come to the UK on healthcare worker and student visas.
Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the figures demonstrated Tory chaos and failure on immigration. Net migration has more than trebled since Rishi Sunak and his party promised to get it down at the last election.
The government stats showed that 14 per cent fewer people claimed asylum in the UK in the year ending March 2024, in part due to a decrease in claims from Albanian small boat arrivals. The data also showed a significant increase in the number of asylum decisions being made by Home Office case workers.
Lib Dem home affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said, 'No matter how the Conservatives try to twist the truth, the asylum backlog remains sky-high. Rishi Sunak has failed to deliver on his promise to tackle the asylum backlog.'
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