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Sep 11 โ€ข 20 tweets โ€ข 8 min read โ€ข Read on X
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 ๐Ÿงต on some of the countries that the UK received asylum applications from in 2023... Image
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. Image
In 2023, the UK received 5,682 asylum applications from India ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ

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. Image
In 2023, the UK received 4,542 asylum applications from Albania ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฑ

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. Image
In 2023, the UK received 4,419 asylum applications from Turkey ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท

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. Image
In 2023, the UK received 2,469 asylum applications from Vietnam ๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ณ

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. Image
In 2023, the UK received 2,198 asylum applications from Sri Lanka ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฐ

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. Image
In 2023, the UK received 2,175 asylum applications from Brazil ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ท

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. Image
In 2023, the UK received 1,408 asylum applications from Georgia ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ช

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. Image
In 2023, the UK received 1,180 asylum applications from Namibia ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฆ

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. Image
In 2023, the UK received 627 asylum applications from Botswana ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ผ

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. Image
In 2023, the UK received 359 asylum applications from the Philippines ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ

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. Image
In 2023, the UK received 353 asylum applications from Trinidad & Tobago ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡น

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. Image
In 2023, the UK received 352 asylum applications from Morocco ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฆ

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. Image
In 2023, the UK received 344 asylum applications from Malaysia ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡พ

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. Image
It gets weirder.

In 2023, the UK received 413 asylum applications from members of the European Union ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ

This includes 126 applications from Poland, 61 applications from Romania, 45 applications from Hungary, and 34 applications from the Czech Republic ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ด๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Image
And there are also a number of applications from other safe, stable, democratic countries.

This includes 104 from the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ, 57 from Jamaica ๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ฒ, 18 from Chile ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฑ, 9 from Singapore ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ, 8 from Canada ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ, and 7 from Japan ๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต Image
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. Image
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? Image
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.

gov.uk/government/staโ€ฆ

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More from @sam_bidwell

Dec 18
A Turkish heroin peddler has been allowed to stay in the UK - because deporting him would infringe upon his "right to a family life" ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท

Somehow, this case is even worse than it sounds.

A short ๐Ÿงต on our broken asylum and immigration system

telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/12/1โ€ฆ
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? Image
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. Image
Read 20 tweets
Dec 17
In 1700, Manchester was an obscure village of fewer than 10,000 people - by 1900, it was a metropolis, the world's first industrial city ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง

Its remarkable growth is testament to the power of trade, industry, and British ingenuity.

A ๐Ÿงต on how capitalism built Manchester Image
For most of its early history, Manchester was entirely unremarkable.

In c. 79AD, a Roman fort was constructed on the banks of the River Medlock, the first settlement in modern Manchester.

The area remained largely depopulated and impoverished throughout the medieval period. Image
The one exception to this trend came in 1363, when a small community of Flemish weavers, from modern-day Belgium, settled in Manchester.

These weavers helped to establish Manchester as a local centre for textile production - which would one day power the city's growth. Image
Read 24 tweets
Dec 13
The British invented the modern world ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง

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 ๐Ÿงต on some of the world-changing innovations birthed here in Britain Image
In 1668, Englishman Sir Isaac Newton built the world's first reflecting telescope ๐Ÿด๓ 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. Image
In 1701, Englishman Jethro Tull developed a horse-drawn seed drill, which allowed seeds to be sowed in neat rows ๐Ÿด๓ 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. Image
Read 24 tweets
Dec 10
In 2023, after decades of turmoil, Argentinians elected maverick libertarian Javier Milei as President ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ท

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 ๐Ÿงต on Argentina's nascent recovery Image
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. Image
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. Image
Read 21 tweets
Dec 1
The UK economy has flatlined since 2007 ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง

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 ๐Ÿงต on the countries that the UK has fallen behind since 2007 Image
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. Image
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. Image
Read 23 tweets
Nov 28
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 ๐Ÿงต on where immigrants to the UK are coming from, and what we can do about it Image
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. Image
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. Image
Read 18 tweets

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