A record number of asylum seekers have managed to secure their stay in the UK by claiming to be gay, official figures have revealed.
The figure almost trebled last year from 762 in 2022 to 2133 in 2023, of people who could demonstrate that returning to their homeland would be inhumane because of their sexuality.
Under the European Convention of Human Rights people who may be persecuted because of their sexual orientation can claim asylum in the UK.
Some of the rise seen this year can be attributed to a backlog in applications created by the pandemic, however sceptics argue that this is some people trying to game the system.
Eight countries saw 100 per cent of claims were successful. These were people from Afghanistan, El Salvador, Syria, Eritrea, Myanmar (Burma), Libya, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Yemen.
While Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria saw the largest number of successful applicants.
Albania saw less than ten per cent of their application were successful, making it the most rejected country.
More than 16,000 migrants have arrived in the UK since Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister, figures released by the Home Office have shown.
In 2023, the figure from January 1, to December 31, was 29,437 on a total of 602 boats.
In 2022, a total of 1,100 boats made it across the Channel carrying some 45,755 people - which was the highest number of migrants to make it across the Channel.
Civil servants at the department are said to be 'underwhelmed' by the Government's proposals to tackling Channel crossings and reducing illegal migration to the UK.
It comes as nine different boats carrying 572 migrants were intercepted crossing the Channel last Saturday.
This bring the total number of migrants to arrive so far this year to 32,691 which is up 22 per cent on the same time last year (26,699) but still 18 per cent less than recorded by November 2022 (39,929).
Some in the Home Office have reportedly claimed 'nobody' understands how the new Border Security Command (BSC) - set up just days after Labour swept to power in July - will work and department officials are 'underwhelmed' by strategy outlined last week.
Experts have warned that smugglers will adjust to any changes and that demand for gangs' services is not slowing, according to the i newspaper.
The damning revelations will heap further pressure on Labour to get a grip on the small boats crisis, which saw its busiest fornight on the Channel so far this year with the migrants reaching Britain since the new Government took office topping 18,000.
A Home Office spokesman said: 'It is important we clear through the asylum backlog and provide protection to individuals fleeing persecution.
'Our processes are underpinned by a robust framework of safeguards and quality checks, ensuring that claims are properly considered, decisions are sound, and that protection is granted to those who genuinely need it.'
