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Immigration minister slammed over false claims about small boat crossings

CAMPAIGNERS have hit out at immigration minister Robert Jenrick for falsely claiming that most people arriving by small boats are economic migrants.

The minister has claimed that the asylum system is “riddled with abuse” and that people arriving in small boats “risk cannibalising the compassion” of the British public.

Mr Jenrick told Sky News: “With small boats you are finding tens of thousands of young men, who are in a place of safety, who are predominantly economic migrants, are coming to the UK.”

He said they were “putting overwhelming pressure on our asylum system… making it harder for us to support those who genuinely need our help.”

Refugee Council CEO Enver Solomon branded his claims “false,” adding that “the government’s own statistics show this to be untrue, as the majority of people crossing the Channel to the UK are eventually shown to be refugees.

“Instead of explaining away failures in the asylum system, it is essential for the government to keep a sustained focus on fixing the problems within the UK asylum system, starting with real commitment and resourcing to tackling the asylum backlog of 170,000.”

Natasha Tsangarides, of Freedom from Torture, added: “Instead of fomenting culture wars to distract from its economic incompetence and badly handled cost-of-living crisis, this government must clear the asylum backlog, work towards a compassionate and efficient system, and house people in the community so that they can rebuild their lives.”

Mr Jenrick also claimed today that targets to reduce net immigration were not “particularly helpful,” despite previous pledges to limit immigration in successive Conservative election manifestos.

Of the 19,706 initial decisions on 75,492 asylum applications made in the UK in the last financial year, 74 per cent granted refugee status or other forms of leave, according to the Home Office.

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