Cross-Party Committee Report Details UK Asylum System Failures, Calls for Overhaul

An influential committee of cross-party MPs has issued a stark warning that Britain’s asylum system is “failing to cope in the face of severe pressure”. The Public Accounts Committee’s report, published on Friday, labelled its findings “disturbing”, asserting that the government faces a “considerable risk of repeating past failures” in its efforts to address systemic issues.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the Conservative chair of the committee, stated that control of the asylum system “had been all but lost” and criticised a focus on “short-term fixes”. The report highlighted that the Home Office cannot definitively track all individuals whose asylum claims have failed, admitting it only knows the location of the “vast majority”. This revelation was described by the committee as “shocking and unacceptable”.

Recommendations from the report include a comprehensive overhaul of the monitoring system for failed asylum seekers. It also demands that the government outline its strategy for tracing those not in active contact, tackling illegal employment by failed asylum seekers, and sanctioning employers.

Sir Geoffrey attributed these issues to a “directionless bureaucracy” that leaves asylum seekers “either in limbo, or lost”. He added that “there is no clear strategy uniting these efforts, and engagement across departments and with local authorities is patchy at best”.

The committee scrutinised the government's data-gathering, accommodation management, and associated costs. In 2024–25, the Home Office expended approximately £4.9 billion on asylum, with £3.4 billion allocated to accommodation and support. The report recommends a full review of all hotel accommodation contracts to assess the reasonableness of current profit levels.

A Home Office spokesperson acknowledged that the findings supported its ongoing reform efforts. Earlier this year, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood unveiled plans for temporary protection for those granted asylum, subject to review every 30 months. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp pointed out that over 73,000 migrants had crossed the Channel since Labour came to power, alleging a collapse in removal mechanisms. Lib Dem home affairs spokesperson Max Wilkinson contended that the government has been “exposed for its failure to fix the broken asylum system”.

Home Office figures from February show a 4% decrease in asylum claims in 2025, despite a 13% rise in small boat arrivals. The backlog of asylum claim decisions has reduced to 64,426, its lowest since 2020, and hotel accommodation for asylum seekers has fallen by 19% to 30,657.