Is the government meeting its pledges on illegal immigration and asylum?

The premier curate has made tackling amerciable migration and "restoring order" to the asylum strategy a precedence for the government.

Sir Keir Starmer has promised to "smash the gangs". It follows predecessor Rishi Sunak's pledge to "stop the boats".

Yet tiny vessel crossings person reached grounds levels for this constituent successful the twelvemonth - with astir 1,200 migrants arriving this mode connected 31 May.

BBC Verify looks astatine cardinal authorities pledges - from ending the usage of asylum hotels to returning much failed asylum seekers.

Labour promised to "end asylum hotels, redeeming the payer billions of pounds" successful its wide predetermination manifesto.

The authorities wants to fulfil this pledge by the extremity of this Parliament - meaning by 2029, unless an aboriginal predetermination is called.

However, caller figures amusement determination were much asylum seekers staying successful hotels successful March 2025 than astatine the extremity of June 2024, a fewer days earlier the wide election.

At the extremity of June, 29,585 radical were successful hotels. By March, determination were 32,345 - though the fig has dropped compared with December.

The authorities does not regularly people figures connected the fig of existent hotels successful usage but figures obtained by BBC Verify amusement determination were 218 asylum hotels successful December, up from 212 successful July.

Once idiosyncratic applies for asylum, they summation ineligible protections portion awaiting a determination - including accommodation if they cannot enactment themselves financially.

Almost everyone who arrives by tiny vessel claims asylum - they made up a 3rd of each asylum applications implicit the past 12 months. Another ample radical of claimants were radical already successful the UK who had overstayed their visas.

The asylum process determines whether a idiosyncratic tin stay successful the UK due to the fact that they person a "well-founded fearfulness of persecution" successful their location country.

Since 2020, the authorities has been progressively reliant connected hotels, partially due to the fact that the proviso of different types of asylum accommodation has not kept up with the numbers arriving successful tiny boats.

But utilizing asylum hotels is costly - costing £8m per time successful 2023-24.

As of 1 June, 14,812 radical had arrived successful the UK successful tiny boats this year- up by astir a 3rd compared with this clip past year.

To trim the fig of crossings, the authorities has pledged to disrupt the people-smuggling gangs down them.

But it is unclear however the authorities plans to measurement its progress, oregon erstwhile the extremity volition beryllium met.

The Home Office told america information connected actions taken by officials to disrupt transgression gangs was "being collected and whitethorn beryllium published successful the future".

There is immoderate accusation connected efforts to forestall tiny vessel crossings by French authorities - who, nether a 2023 deal, are receiving £476m from the UK implicit 3 years.

They accidental astir 24,791 radical were prevented from crossing betwixt July 2024 and May 2025. We bash not cognize what happened to them oregon whether they tried to transverse again.

There person been high-profile cases of UK-based smugglers being sentenced, including a antheral who helped smuggle much than 3,000 people and raids connected the continent.

And astatine the caller UK-EU acme some sides pledged to enactment unneurotic connected uncovering solutions to tackle amerciable immigration.

This includes radical who get connected tiny boats, oregon hidden successful lorries, and radical who stay successful the UK aft their ineligible visa expires.

The immense bulk of UK migration is ineligible - this includes radical who person been granted support to travel to work, study, assertion asylum oregon for different authorised purposes.

Over the past 12 months astir 44,000 radical entered the UK illegally - astir 5% of the astir 1 cardinal radical who immigrated to the UK betwixt April 2024 and March 2025.

The authorities has besides promised "to wide the asylum backlog".

This refers to the backlog of claims by asylum seekers who are waiting to perceive whether they volition beryllium granted exile presumption and beryllium allowed to stay successful the UK.

Since past summer, determination has been a 58% summation successful decisions connected asylum cases.

This, combined with a caller autumn successful applications has meant the wide backlog of asylum cases has fallen compared with the extremity of June 2024.

Under Labour, 40% of asylum claims were granted betwixt January and March 2025.

Another backlog the authorities wants to wide is the upland of tribunal appeals from asylum seekers pursuing rejected claims.

That backlog has got worse since past summer's election.

There were astir 33,000 cases astatine the extremity of June, rising to astir 42,000 successful December - the highest full since astatine slightest 2015.

The authorities has besides promised to "increase returns" of radical with nary ineligible close to beryllium successful the UK. It said it would acceptable up a caller returns and enforcement portion with 1,000 other staff.

Between July 2024 (when Labour came to power) and May 2025, there were 29,867 returns recorded by the Home Office.

This is up 12% compared with the aforesaid play 12 months ago.

So the authorities is gathering this pledge but it is worthy noting that conscionable 7,893 radical were forcibly removed - which could impact being escorted connected a level by an migration official.

The figures besides amusement 8,511 failed asylum seekers were returned successful this play but they bash not accidental however galore were enforced oregon voluntary.

Separate authorities figures from January to March gave a fuller breakdown showing galore of those who did permission voluntarily did truthful without authorities assistance oregon adjacent its cognition astatine the time, as BBC Verify has antecedently pointed out.

This is contempt repeated claims from ministers that the authorities has "removed" oregon adjacent "deported" this galore people.

The Home Office says each returns outcomes are the effect of corporate efforts by the department.