UK Stats Authority criticises Sunak over asylum backlog claim

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

The UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) has criticised Rishi Sunak over his claim to have “cleared” the asylum backlog earlier this month, despite the latest figures showing the total backlog of asylum cases is over 99,000. 

In response to a letter from Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael, the Chair of the UKSA Sir Robert Chote said voters may have been “misled” by Sunak’s claim and that it “may affect public trust.”

Chote says the average member of the public would assume from Sunak’s claim to have “cleared” the asylum backlog that the whole backlog had been cleared, adding that he was "not surprised that the government’s claim has been treated with scepticism and some people may feel misled.”

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: 

"Not only is the Conservative Government celebrating something that is no achievement, they are twisting the facts - as proven by the UK Statistics Authority just today. 

"As this letter again shows, the Conservatives have not cleared the asylum backlog. Thousands of vulnerable people are still living in limbo as they wait for their claims to be processed. The British public deserves better than this."

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

The letter from Sir Robert Chote can be found here

Alistair Carmichael’s original letter to the UK Statistics Authority can be found here.