Lanarkshire MP hits out at Home Secretary over UK Government's asylum policy

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A Lanarkshire MP has hit out at the Home Secretary over the UK Government’s asylum policy. Lanark and Hamilton East MP Angela Crawley has criticised Suella Braverman’s response to the asylum backlog crisis in a letter to the Home Secretary.

Ms Crawley highlighted increasing waiting times for Home Office decisions and has demanding answers following the release of latest figures.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android Recent figures show that the asylum backlog has now passed 175,000 – leaving applicants in limbo and costing the taxpayer £6 million every day.However, despite increasing caseworker capacity, the Home Office is nowhere near its stated aim of clearing the asylum backlog by the end of 2023.Ms Crawley claimed the Home Secretary is causing “immense suffering” to asylum applicants, including individuals who have been waiting more than two years for the department to make a decision.She said: “The Home Secretary’s mismanagement of her department is playing with my constituents’ lives and futures.“Instead of a functioning immigration and asylum system, the Tory UK Government’s hostile environment model has meant hundreds of thousands of people are stuck in limbo unable to work, study or find their own home as they wait for a decision.“My caseworkers are spending a significant amount of time