What ministers say, beside the figures
Quantified claims made by ministers in Parliament about immigration and asylum, quoted verbatim from the Official Report, each printed next to the official figure this site publishes on the same subject.
This page does not tell you who is right. It puts the claim and the statistic side by side, with the period of each, and leaves the comparison to you.
A statement in Parliament is a claim, not a statistic
A minister's words are evidence of what the government says, not of what is the case. This site never labels a claim true or false, and never picks a figure to embarrass one. Where a claim and a figure appear to disagree, the usual reason is that they count different things over different periods — check both periods before concluding anything.How these quotes are chosen
Each quote is the whole sentence in which a minister made a claim involving a number about a subject this site measures — never a fragment, never a truncation with an ellipsis, and never edited. Contributions often run to several thousand words; the link on each entry goes to the full contribution in the Official Report, in context. Claims about subjects this site holds no figure for are not published here.The Prime Minister
Commons · 15 July 2026Engagements · Sir Keir Starmer · Official Report ↗
“I am pleased that net migration is down 82%, small boat crossings are down 40%, the asylum backlog is down, we are closing asylum hotels and we deported 70,000 people with no right to be here.”
What this site publishes on those subjects
- Small-boat arrivals, year to date
- 14,5611 January to 6 August 2026 · source
- Total long-term net migration (all routes, overwhelmingly lawful)
- 171,000year ending Dec 2025 (provisional) · sourceTOTAL long-term net migration — overwhelmingly lawful routes (work, study, family and the Ukraine and BNO schemes). It is not a measure of irregular migration and must not be compared with or added to small-boat or asylum figures. ONS states a confidence interval of 145,000 to 197,000 for this estimate.
- People awaiting an initial asylum decision
- 48,758as at 31 March 2026 · source
- People in hotel accommodation
- 20,885as at 31 Mar 2026 · sourcePeople in contingency hotel accommodation. Point-in-time snapshot; sites open and close.
- Returns from the UK (enforced plus voluntary)
- 39,007year ending March 2026 · sourceEnforced plus voluntary returns (Home Office headline measure).
The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Shabana Mahmood)
Commons · 13 July 2026Immigration and Asylum Bill · Shabana Mahmood · Official Report ↗
“The Conservative Government had ceded control of our borders to criminal gangs and, as a result, between January 2021 and June 2024, 110,000 people arrived here by small boat, while a further 175,000 claimed asylum by other routes.”
What this site publishes on that subject
- Small-boat arrivals, year to date
- 14,5611 January to 6 August 2026 · source
“In just a single year, spending on asylum support was £4.7 billion, including £9 million spent daily on housing people in 400 asylum hotels.”
What this site publishes on that subject
- People in hotel accommodation
- 20,885as at 31 Mar 2026 · sourcePeople in contingency hotel accommodation. Point-in-time snapshot; sites open and close.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mike Tapp)
Commons · 13 July 2026Illegal Immigrants: Offshore Detention and Deportation · Mike Tapp · Official Report ↗
“Over 44,000 channel crossings have been stopped in partnership with the French.”
What this site publishes on that subject
- Small-boat arrivals, year to date
- 14,5611 January to 6 August 2026 · source
The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Hanson of Flint) (Lab)
Lords · 9 July 2026UK Migration · Lord Hanson of Flint · Official Report ↗
“Net migration increased from 2021 to record levels in 2023, reaching 944,000 at its peak.”
What this site publishes on that subject
- Total long-term net migration (all routes, overwhelmingly lawful)
- 171,000year ending Dec 2025 (provisional) · sourceTOTAL long-term net migration — overwhelmingly lawful routes (work, study, family and the Ukraine and BNO schemes). It is not a measure of irregular migration and must not be compared with or added to small-boat or asylum figures. ONS states a confidence interval of 145,000 to 197,000 for this estimate.
“Net migration fell to 171,000 by the end of 2025—an 82% decrease compared to the peak and the lowest level since the pandemic.”
What this site publishes on that subject
- Total long-term net migration (all routes, overwhelmingly lawful)
- 171,000year ending Dec 2025 (provisional) · sourceTOTAL long-term net migration — overwhelmingly lawful routes (work, study, family and the Ukraine and BNO schemes). It is not a measure of irregular migration and must not be compared with or added to small-boat or asylum figures. ONS states a confidence interval of 145,000 to 197,000 for this estimate.
The Prime Minister
Commons · 1 July 2026Engagements · Sir Keir Starmer · Official Report ↗
“I am very proud of the fact that after net migration reached almost 1 million under the Conservatives, we have brought it down by 82%.”
What this site publishes on that subject
- Total long-term net migration (all routes, overwhelmingly lawful)
- 171,000year ending Dec 2025 (provisional) · sourceTOTAL long-term net migration — overwhelmingly lawful routes (work, study, family and the Ukraine and BNO schemes). It is not a measure of irregular migration and must not be compared with or added to small-boat or asylum figures. ONS states a confidence interval of 145,000 to 197,000 for this estimate.
“The hon. Gentleman references the asylum system; asylum decisions are being made at record levels, the backlog is down, removals are up 41% and we are closing asylum hotels.”
What this site publishes on those subjects
- People awaiting an initial asylum decision
- 48,758as at 31 March 2026 · source
- People in hotel accommodation
- 20,885as at 31 Mar 2026 · sourcePeople in contingency hotel accommodation. Point-in-time snapshot; sites open and close.
- Returns from the UK (enforced plus voluntary)
- 39,007year ending March 2026 · sourceEnforced plus voluntary returns (Home Office headline measure).
The Minister for Border Security and Asylum (Alex Norris)
Commons · 29 June 2026Asylum Accommodation · Alex Norris · Official Report ↗
“In April we announced that 11 asylum hotels had been closed and given back to local communities.”
What this site publishes on that subject
- People in hotel accommodation
- 20,885as at 31 Mar 2026 · sourcePeople in contingency hotel accommodation. Point-in-time snapshot; sites open and close.
“That means that just under 170 asylum hotels remain in use, which is a reduction of more than half compared with the peak of around 400 under the previous Government.”
What this site publishes on that subject
- People in hotel accommodation
- 20,885as at 31 Mar 2026 · sourcePeople in contingency hotel accommodation. Point-in-time snapshot; sites open and close.
The Deputy Prime Minister (Mr David Lammy)
Commons · 22 June 2026G7 Summit · Mr David Lammy · Official Report ↗
“We have removed 9,000 foreign national offenders, and we are closing asylum hotels.”
What this site publishes on that subject
- People in hotel accommodation
- 20,885as at 31 Mar 2026 · sourcePeople in contingency hotel accommodation. Point-in-time snapshot; sites open and close.
“Under the last Government, net migration reached almost 1 million.”
What this site publishes on that subject
- Total long-term net migration (all routes, overwhelmingly lawful)
- 171,000year ending Dec 2025 (provisional) · sourceTOTAL long-term net migration — overwhelmingly lawful routes (work, study, family and the Ukraine and BNO schemes). It is not a measure of irregular migration and must not be compared with or added to small-boat or asylum figures. ONS states a confidence interval of 145,000 to 197,000 for this estimate.
The Deputy Prime Minister
Commons · 17 June 2026Engagements · Mr David Lammy · Official Report ↗
“On the central issue, I am proud that we have seen a reduction in net migration of 82% over the 23 months that we have been in power.”
What this site publishes on that subject
- Total long-term net migration (all routes, overwhelmingly lawful)
- 171,000year ending Dec 2025 (provisional) · sourceTOTAL long-term net migration — overwhelmingly lawful routes (work, study, family and the Ukraine and BNO schemes). It is not a measure of irregular migration and must not be compared with or added to small-boat or asylum figures. ONS states a confidence interval of 145,000 to 197,000 for this estimate.
The Deputy Prime Minister
Commons · 17 June 2026Engagements · Mr David Lammy · Official Report ↗
“They do not want to talk about the economy because it is growing, they do not want to talk about the NHS because waiting lists are falling, and they do not want to talk about immigration because they lost control of our borders and net migration is down under us by 82%.”
What this site publishes on that subject
- Total long-term net migration (all routes, overwhelmingly lawful)
- 171,000year ending Dec 2025 (provisional) · sourceTOTAL long-term net migration — overwhelmingly lawful routes (work, study, family and the Ukraine and BNO schemes). It is not a measure of irregular migration and must not be compared with or added to small-boat or asylum figures. ONS states a confidence interval of 145,000 to 197,000 for this estimate.
The Prime Minister
Commons · 3 June 2026Engagements · Sir Keir Starmer · Official Report ↗
“Net migration, which reached nearly a million under the Conservatives—the Leader of the Opposition was the cheerleader—is down by a staggering 82%.”
What this site publishes on that subject
- Total long-term net migration (all routes, overwhelmingly lawful)
- 171,000year ending Dec 2025 (provisional) · sourceTOTAL long-term net migration — overwhelmingly lawful routes (work, study, family and the Ukraine and BNO schemes). It is not a measure of irregular migration and must not be compared with or added to small-boat or asylum figures. ONS states a confidence interval of 145,000 to 197,000 for this estimate.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mike Tapp)
Commons · 3 June 2026Improving the UK Visa System · Mike Tapp · Official Report ↗
“At its peak, net migration hit nearly 1 million in one year.”
What this site publishes on that subject
- Total long-term net migration (all routes, overwhelmingly lawful)
- 171,000year ending Dec 2025 (provisional) · sourceTOTAL long-term net migration — overwhelmingly lawful routes (work, study, family and the Ukraine and BNO schemes). It is not a measure of irregular migration and must not be compared with or added to small-boat or asylum figures. ONS states a confidence interval of 145,000 to 197,000 for this estimate.
“In our time in government, we have seen net migration fall by 82% from its peak and by 48% in the last year, and emigration, despite what it says on X, has remained flat.”
What this site publishes on that subject
- Total long-term net migration (all routes, overwhelmingly lawful)
- 171,000year ending Dec 2025 (provisional) · sourceTOTAL long-term net migration — overwhelmingly lawful routes (work, study, family and the Ukraine and BNO schemes). It is not a measure of irregular migration and must not be compared with or added to small-boat or asylum figures. ONS states a confidence interval of 145,000 to 197,000 for this estimate.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Baroness Levitt) (Lab)
Lords · 18 May 2026King’s Speech · Baroness Levitt · Official Report ↗
“We have made a good start: we have cut £1 billion from the asylum Bill, and we have increased the return of illegal immigrants by 31% since coming into office.”
What this site publishes on that subject
- Returns from the UK (enforced plus voluntary)
- 39,007year ending March 2026 · sourceEnforced plus voluntary returns (Home Office headline measure).
The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Hanson of Flint) (Lab)
Lords · 18 May 2026King’s Speech · Lord Hanson of Flint · Official Report ↗
“We have stopped 40,000 attempted channel crossings in partnership with the French.”
What this site publishes on that subject
- Small-boat arrivals, year to date
- 14,5611 January to 6 August 2026 · source
The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Hanson of Flint) (Lab)
Lords · 14 April 2026Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules · Lord Hanson of Flint · Official Report ↗
“The Government have put in place around 1,000 extra staff—paid for by the scrapping of the Rwanda scheme—to improve the performance of the asylum system and the review of asylum backlogs.”
What this site publishes on that subject
- People awaiting an initial asylum decision
- 48,758as at 31 March 2026 · source
“We have returned 58,538 people in the past 12 months who had no right to remain, including foreign national offenders who should not have been here.”
What this site publishes on that subject
- Returns from the UK (enforced plus voluntary)
- 39,007year ending March 2026 · sourceEnforced plus voluntary returns (Home Office headline measure).
The Minister for Border Security and Asylum (Alex Norris)
Commons · 17 March 2026Immigration Reforms · Alex Norris · Official Report ↗
“From the four countries for which we implemented visa brakes—Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan—asylum applications had risen to more than 470% of their 2021 level.”
What this site publishes on that subject
- Asylum claims (people)
- 93,525Year ending March 2026 · source
The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Hanson of Flint) (Lab)
Lords · 26 February 2026Electronic Travel Authorisation: Dual Nationals · Lord Hanson of Flint · Official Report ↗
“They show that asylum hotels are at the lowest level for 18 months, which coincides with the UK Labour Government; the asylum backlog has fallen for the fourth quarter in a row to 64,426; and small boat arrivals are 9% lower than the peak in 2022.”
What this site publishes on those subjects
- Small-boat arrivals, year to date
- 14,5611 January to 6 August 2026 · source
- People awaiting an initial asylum decision
- 48,758as at 31 March 2026 · source
- People in hotel accommodation
- 20,885as at 31 Mar 2026 · sourcePeople in contingency hotel accommodation. Point-in-time snapshot; sites open and close.
Data as of
Sources for this page
- Official Report (Hansard), UK Parliament — UK Parliament · statements to 2026-07-15 · retrieved 2026-08-21