❓WHAT HAPPENED: Britain recorded 108,000 asylum applications in 2024, marking the highest number ever, according to new Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) data.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government, Border Force personnel, and asylum seekers.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The data covers 2024, with the United Kingdom surpassing previous records and facing increased crossings of the English Channel by boat migrants.
🎯IMPACT: The figures add to the ongoing migration crisis in Britain, with rising crossings and public demand for stricter deportation measures.
Britain has recorded the highest number of asylum claims in Europe, as new figures reveal a record 108,000 applications were made in 2024. The data, released by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), shows a 28 percent increase from the previous year’s 84,000, marking the largest total ever documented in the United Kingdom. The previous peak was in 2002, when 103,000 people sought asylum.
While Britain’s numbers surged, several European neighbours experienced declines. Germany, traditionally one of the largest destinations for asylum seekers, saw applications fall by nearly 100,000 to around 230,000. France also reported a decrease, while Spain and Italy received 164,000 and 151,000 claims, respectively. Although both totals were higher than Britain’s in absolute terms, their growth rates were far lower.
The OECD also reported around 44,000 unauthorised attempts to enter the United Kingdom in 2024, mostly through small boat crossings of the English Channel. That figure was up from 37,000 in 2023. Pakistani nationals accounted for the largest group of asylum seekers, submitting more than 10,000 applications, followed by Afghans and Iranians, who each filed over 8,000 claims.
The surge in migration has intensified pressure on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s leftist Labour government, which faces growing criticism over its handling of border control. The situation has worsened over 2025, with more than 35,000 migrants crossing the Channel, a 25 percent rise compared to the same period last year.
Broader migration trends continue to stir public concern. Former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick warned in 2024 that “mass immigration is crushing national prosperity, not raising it,” stressing that the pace of arrivals is placing a serious strain on housing and public services. Official data indicate that Britain’s population grew by more than 750,000 in the year to mid-2024, with net migration accounting for almost all of that increase.
The recent appointment of far-left Muslim Shabana Mahmood as Home Secretary, roughly equivalent to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary, in September 2025 has also drawn attention. Her promotion places her in charge of border security and migration policy, though some commentators have described her as a figure whose priorities may focus more on leftist ideas like “social justice” than immigration enforcement.
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