In recent years, asylum applications to the UK have skyrocketed - in 2023 alone, 84,425 people applied for asylum here.
But many of these applications come from safe, stable countries.
A ๐งต on some of the countries that the UK received asylum applications from in 2023...
First - the UK does not need to have an asylum system.
The system is designed to accommodate a small number of low-impact individuals from repressive or unstable countries.
It is not a tool for economic migration, or a means to escape criminal justice.
In 2023, the UK received 5,682 asylum applications from India ๐ฎ๐ณ
India is widely regarded as a safe, stable, and democratic country. It is a key economic and diplomatic partner of the UK. Millions of foreign tourists visit India each year without incident.
In 2023, the UK received 4,542 asylum applications from Albania ๐ฆ๐ฑ
Albania is a safe, stable, European country. Though its democracy is imperfect, the country is widely regarded as democratic. There is no ongoing civil or political conflict in Albania.
In 2023, the UK received 4,419 asylum applications from Turkey ๐น๐ท
Turkey is an imperfect democracy with a relatively high level of civil liberty. It is a key economic and military ally of the UK - in 2023, 3.8 million Britons visited Turkey, most without incident.
In 2023, the UK received 2,469 asylum applications from Vietnam ๐ป๐ณ
Though undemocratic, Vietnam is a safe, stable country that hosts millions of foreign tourists each year. The UK is the only European country which accepts Vietnamese asylum applications.
In 2023, the UK received 2,198 asylum applications from Sri Lanka ๐ฑ๐ฐ
Though the country has suffered economic difficulties in recent years, Sri Lanka is a safe country with some degree of democracy. The country has been at peace since the end of its civil war in 2009.
In 2023, the UK received 2,175 asylum applications from Brazil ๐ง๐ท
Though Brazil suffers a high level of petty criminality, it is a stable and consistently democratic country with no ongoing civil or military conflicts. Millions of tourists visit Brazil each year.
In 2023, the UK received 1,408 asylum applications from Georgia ๐ฌ๐ช
Georgia is a safe, stable, and largely democratic country. It is home to a growing international tourist industry, and is rated as free or mostly free by the majority of international observers.
In 2023, the UK received 1,180 asylum applications from Namibia ๐ณ๐ฆ
Namibia is one of the safest, most stable, and most democratic countries in sub-Saharan Africa. It has no ongoing civil or military unrest, and no ongoing conflicts.
In 2023, the UK received 627 asylum applications from Botswana ๐ง๐ผ
Botswana is arguably the most stable and developed country in sub-Saharan Africa. It has had no coups, no civil wars, and no conflicts since independence in 1966. It is rated 'high' on the Human Development Index.
In 2023, the UK received 359 asylum applications from the Philippines ๐ต๐ญ
Though an imperfect democracy, the Philippines is widely regarded as democratic - most of the country is safe and stable. The country is rated 'partly free' by Freedom House and it is highly developed.
In 2023, the UK received 353 asylum applications from Trinidad & Tobago ๐น๐น
The Caribbean island nation is safe, stable, and democratic. It is one of the most developed countries in the Americas, and has no outstanding civil or military unrest.
In 2023, the UK received 352 asylum applications from Morocco ๐ฒ๐ฆ
Though an imperfect democracy, most Moroccans enjoy a high degree of social and political freedom. The country is relatively safe and stable, barring the low-level conflict in Western Sahara.
In 2023, the UK received 344 asylum applications from Malaysia ๐ฒ๐พ
Though an imperfect democracy, Malaysia is widely regarded as relatively safe, stable, and democratic. It is well-developed, and a close economic partner of the UK.
It gets weirder.
In 2023, the UK received 413 asylum applications from members of the European Union ๐ช๐บ
This includes 126 applications from Poland, 61 applications from Romania, 45 applications from Hungary, and 34 applications from the Czech Republic ๐ต๐ฑ๐ท๐ด๐ญ๐บ๐จ๐ฟ
And there are also a number of applications from other safe, stable, democratic countries.
This includes 104 from the United States ๐บ๐ธ, 57 from Jamaica ๐ฏ๐ฒ, 18 from Chile ๐จ๐ฑ, 9 from Singapore ๐ธ๐ฌ, 8 from Canada ๐จ๐ฆ, and 7 from Japan ๐ฏ๐ต
Plainly, our asylum system is not working.
The UK receives thousands of spurious applications from safe, stable, democratic countries on an annual basis - one might reasonably question the motives behind these applications.
If the UK Government wants to continue offering asylum status, it should massively expand the list of countries considered 'safe' by default, and outright ban applications from other developed Western countries.
Why is taxpayer resource being spent on processing these claims?
This is plainly absurd.
If you want to check out these figures yourself, you can find them at the link below.
It's the 'Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets, year ending June 2024' dataset.
This case concerns a Turkish man, who first entered the UK in 1988.
He claimed asylum but was removed to Turkey just four days after arriving.
Nevertheless, in 1991, he was allowed to return to the country while his claim was being considered. Why was this necessary?
His claim was refused in March 1993 - but he was given exceptional leave to remain here, and was eventually given indefinite leave to remain as a refugee, in 1997.
The man's refugee status rests upon the fact that, as a Kurd, he is liable to be discriminated against in Turkey.
Few other countries can boast such a proud legacy of innovation and invention - for centuries, we have led the way on the development of new technologies.
A ๐งต on some of the world-changing innovations birthed here in Britain
In 1668, Englishman Sir Isaac Newton built the world's first reflecting telescope ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ
Newton's discovery was based on his understanding of prisms and optics.
It allowed scientists to develop a sophisticated theory of colour, and paved the way for the modern telescope.
In 1701, Englishman Jethro Tull developed a horse-drawn seed drill, which allowed seeds to be sowed in neat rows ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ
Tull's drill laid the foundations for modern mechanised agriculture, allowing farmers to plant more crops with fewer men - which increased productivity steeply.
In 2023, after decades of turmoil, Argentinians elected maverick libertarian Javier Milei as President ๐ฆ๐ท
Milei promised to cut tax and spending, fire government employees, and get the economy moving again. 1 year on, it seems to be working.
A ๐งต on Argentina's nascent recovery
But first, some context.
In the early 20th century, Argentina had one of the highest per capita GDPs in the world - ahead of countries like France and Italy.
But thanks to decades of mismanagement, the economy is now in turmoil - in relative terms, it has declined steeply.
In January, year-on-year inflation had soared to an incredible 211 percent.
The country's rapid inflation is largely the result of public spending. For years, the country has run large deficits, despite sluggish growth, in order to appease the public.
In terms of Gross National Income - a measure of the goods and services produced by residents and businesses from a country -, the UK has been practically stagnant.
A short ๐งต on the countries that the UK has fallen behind since 2007
But first, some context - what is Gross National Income?
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) measures the value of goods and services produced in a country (including by foreign multinationals).
GNI focuses on income produced by residents and businesses from the country in question.
GNI is a more accurate measure of how economically successful a country's residents and businesses are.
It captures the income of British businesses abroad, but excludes the income of foreign multinationals headquartered in Britain, if that income is subsequently sent abroad.
Today's new immigration figures highlight the scale of Britain's mass migration crisis.
Politicians have allowed migration to skyrocket, against the repeatedly-stated wishes of the public.
A ๐งต on where immigrants to the UK are coming from, and what we can do about it
Since 2021, migration to the UK from outside the EU has increased steeply - this has colloquially been titled 'the Boriswave'.
In 2022, 2023, and 2024, total inward migration to the UK was higher than 1.2 million.
That's a city the size of Birmingham each year.
This is the biggest wave of immigration to the UK since the time of the Anglo-Saxons.
It has also happened against the wishes of the public. In 2016, millions voted Leave to Take Back Control of our borders - and voted Conservative in 2019 to achieve the very same thing.