Patel’s Home Office has run up a record backlog of applicants whom the public would like to see be able to earn a living
In this government’s realm of sham politics, nothing is what it seems, nothing does what it claims and the public are taken for idiots. Yet synthetic policies don’t always fool the public, especially the ever more draconian rules to deter refugees.
There are 125,000 asylum seekers who are currently awaiting a decision on an initial claim or an appeal, or expecting removal from the country. Many have been in limbo for over six months – some for many years. Despite the pictures of boats arriving, asylum applications actually fell in the year ending June 2021, yet the backlog is at its highest ever, due to Home Office failure to process cases. Most applicants are young, fit and eager to work, but condemned to do nothing for years.
Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist
