Lee Anderson has branded Sir Keir Starmer’s Government “a complete disgrace” after Home Office solutions to his questions revealed no systematic monitoring of failed asylum seekers’ whereabouts within the UK. In two parliamentary written questions tabled final week and answered on October 31, Mr Anderson, the Reform UK MP for Ashfield, examined the division’s dealing with of refused asylum claims.
The responses, signed by Minister of State Alex Norris, uncovered what Mr Anderson regards as a weak enforcement system which permits hundreds of rejected migrants to stay within the UK with out checks. The first query, submitted on October 30, requested about procedures after a declare is rejected. Mr Anderson mentioned the response acknowledged that candidates with out attraction rights are anticipated to go away voluntarily, and if they don’t, they are often topic to enforced elimination. He added that these denied an attraction may apply for judicial overview.
Mr Anderson mentioned on X, previously Twitter: “This Labour Government quite simply does not have the will to deport illegal migrants,” posting a screenshot of the response.
The put up gained greater than 159,000 views, drawing each help from Reform UK supporters and criticism from Labour supporters, who known as him a turncoat after his 13 years as a Conservative.
Mr Anderson adopted up the following day with a second query, asking if the Home Office retains data of the areas of all refused asylum seekers.
In reply, Mr Norris emphasised that asylum seekers usually are not detained and that the division depends on them to replace their lodging particulars if they don’t seem to be in Home Office lodging. The division publishes quarterly knowledge on returns, with the most recent figures as much as June 2025.
Mr Anderson mentioned on X: “Labour are allowing foreign men who have failed the asylum process wander freely in Britain and don’t have a clue where they are.” The put up obtained 358,000 views and seven,200 likes. He shared the response, prompting indignant replies on-line.
One supporter described it as a “pathetic joke” and likened it to “trusting a fox to guard the henhouse.” Another known as for Home Office officers to face fees of “gross dereliction of duty”.
The answers highlight ongoing problems with UK immigration policy. Home Office figures show asylum applications rose to 111,000 in the year to June 2025, while enforced returns increased slightly to 9,838 – far short of the backlog.
Critics including Mr Anderson blame years of poor enforcement under previous governments, but accuse Labour of delays caused by legal challenges and human rights concerns.
This is not the first time Mr Anderson has criticised asylum policy. In 2023, he told unhappy asylum seekers on the Bibby Stockholm barge to “f*** off again to France,” which led to him being stripped of the Conservative whip. Now with Reform, he has made border security a priority, pledging to “finish this insanity” of housing migrants in lodges.
The row highlights divisions over immigration in Westminster. Reform UK, led by Mr Nigel Farage, has gained floor in opinion polls by tapping into public anger over Channel crossings, which reached 29,000 this 12 months.
Mr Anderson’s feedback echo calls for for a border safety invoice to chop arrivals and pace up removals, though legal professionals warn of potential instances on the European Court of Human Rights.
SNP and Liberal Democrat MPs known as for a extra balanced method, pointing to the necessity for truthful choices amid conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
With the Immigration White Paper due quickly, Labour is underneath strain to toughen its stance or lose extra public confidence.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/2128592/lee-anderson-six-word-broadside-keir-starmer-asylum-seekers