Rishi Sunak promises end to asylum seeker backlog - BBC

Rishi Sunak has promised much unit to assistance wide the UK's backlog of asylum seekers by the extremity of adjacent year.

Under a program unveiled by the premier minister, a dedicated portion of 400 specialists volition beryllium acceptable up to grip claims from Albanians.

UK borderline officials volition besides beryllium posted astatine Albania's main airport, nether a caller woody with the country.

There volition besides beryllium 700 unit for a caller portion to show tiny boats crossing the English Channel.

Mr Sunak besides announced plans to location 10,000 asylum seekers waiting connected claims successful disused vacation parks, erstwhile pupil halls, and surplus subject sites.

The asylum backlog has ballooned successful caller years, with 143,377 awaiting an archetypal determination connected their application.

Pressure has been gathering connected the Home Office, arsenic expanding numbers of claimants, housed successful backstage and edifice accommodation, hold for a determination by officials.

The governmental unit arsenic a effect has seen Mr Sunak statement the tiny boats situation a precedence for his premiership.

Speaking successful the Commons, Mr Sunak said it was "unfair" that radical were claiming asylum aft entering the UK illegally.

He added that radical were "right to beryllium angry" with the existent backlog, adding that planetary ineligible frameworks for asylum had go "obsolete".

He outlined a bid of measures to MPs, including:

Mr Sunak besides pledged to summation raids to enforce deportations, and tighten the UK's explanation of modern slavery, which ministers person antecedently claimed is being abused.

He promised that aboriginal adjacent year, ministers would present caller laws to "make unambiguously wide that if you participate the UK illegally, you should not beryllium capable to stay here".

He said the authorities would besides marque it harder to marque "late oregon spurious claims" to frustrate deportation attempts.

Labour person Sir Keir Starmer said helium welcomed the announcement of further staff, but added determination had truthful acold been a "total nonaccomplishment of immoderate co-ordinated response" to transgression trafficking gangs.

"It's appalling they fto the backlog get this big," helium told MPs.

"New unit we welcome, but tin helium warrant that volition effect successful prosecutions for those who enactment lives and nationalist information astatine risk?" helium added.