The UK government spent £4.3 billion more than allocated on asylum support due to a growing backlog in applications, according to Treasury figures. Official estimates put total expenditures at £5.4 billion ($6.8bn) for last year, surpassing the budget of £1 billion set aside for 2023/24 by £4.3 billion. The Treasury figures also indicate the government’s decision to house asylum seekers in hotels has cost UK taxpayers as much as £15 million ($19m) a day.

The Labour Party’s shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, called attention to the overspending, citing it as evidence of “complete chaos” in the asylum system under the current Conservative leadership. The National Pulse previously reported that the UK’s Conservative government has let in record numbers of asylum claimants.

The Home Office attributed this additional expenditure to increased instances of small boat arrivals; in a letter to the Home Affairs Select Committee, Permanent Secretary Sir Matthew Rycroft labeled this as a volatile area for budgeting. He also pointed out that efficiency measures are being implemented to ensure better financial management in the asylum system, including the cessation of housing asylum seekers in hotels.

Meanwhile, recent figures from the Home Office show that over 2,000 migrants have arrived in the UK so far this year, having crossed the Channel. This figure is less by 32 percent than the total recorded around the same time in the previous year but higher by 49 percent compared to the numbers from 2022. With a backlog of nearly 100,000 cases, Labour claims that the failure to resolve asylum applications efficiently has led to extravagant spending on asylum accommodation.