Overview
- The Public Accounts Committee published a hard‑hitting end‑to‑end report on Friday that concluded oversight of the UK asylum accommodation system had broken down and control was 'all but lost'.
- The committee drew on National Audit Office evidence showing a sample of 5,000 people who claimed asylum in January 2023 left 41% with unresolved cases or 'in limbo', highlighting chronic casework backlogs.
- Home Office officials told MPs they do not 'count absolutely everybody out of the country', meaning the department cannot reliably say how many failed asylum seekers have left, absconded or remain in the UK.
- Spending on asylum rose sharply, with roughly £4.9bn reported for 2024–25 and large sums spent on hotels and contractor accommodation, prompting the PAC to demand a review of contracts and value for money.
- The PAC has called for a complete overhaul of tracking, deportation timeframes and accommodation strategy, and ministers must set out clear plans and timescales for tracing and removing failed claimants.