Home Office · 13 December 2019 – 5 July 2024
Initial decisions on asylum claims from small boat arrivals during the Conservative 2019–2024 government
↑ 950.4%+6,957 decisions
Initial decisions on asylum claims from small boat arrivals rose by 950.4% over the period, from 732 decisions (2019 Q3, the level when the government took office) to 7,689 (2024 Q2, the last complete period before it left office). That is an average of +64.1% a year over the term.
- Inherited level 2019 Q3: 732
- Level when it left 2024 Q2: 7,689
- method: latest complete period before start / before end
Changes during this period do not by themselves show what the government caused. Statistics reflect many influences, including earlier decisions, the economy and how the data is collected.
The chart as a table
| Period | Initial decisions on asylum claims from small boat arrivals |
|---|---|
| 2018 Q2 | 4 decisions |
| 2018 Q3 | 15 decisions |
| 2018 Q4 | 261 decisions |
| 2019 Q1 | 198 decisions |
| 2019 Q2 | 391 decisions |
| 2019 Q3 | 732 decisions |
| 2019 Q4 | 492 decisions |
| 2020 Q1 | 459 decisions |
| 2020 Q2 | 1,997 decisions |
| 2020 Q3 | 4,411 decisions |
| 2020 Q4 | 1,409 decisions |
| 2021 Q1 | 1,343 decisions |
| 2021 Q2 | 4,433 decisions |
| 2021 Q3 | 9,467 decisions |
| 2021 Q4 | 10,033 decisions |
| 2022 Q1 | 4,435 decisions |
| 2022 Q2 | 7,893 decisions |
| 2022 Q3 | 17,471 decisions |
| 2022 Q4 | 11,389 decisions |
| 2023 Q1 | 3,612 decisions |
| 2023 Q2 | 6,925 decisions |
| 2023 Q3 | 12,679 decisions |
| 2023 Q4 | 4,394 decisions |
| 2024 Q1 | 5,245 decisions |
| 2024 Q2 | 7,689 decisions |
| 2024 Q3 | 11,139 decisions |
| 2024 Q4 | 11,203 decisions |
| 2025 Q1 | 6,435 decisions |
| 2025 Q2 | 12,970 decisions |
| 2025 Q3 | 13,639 decisions |
| 2025 Q4 | 6,908 decisions |
Definition and caveats
The outcomes to date of asylum claims made by people who arrived by small boat, counted in the quarter the person arrived — a cohort table, so each quarter's figure is the number of claims from that quarter's arrivals.
Doesn’t measure: Final outcomes after appeal, or decisions made in that quarter. Outcomes are restated at every release as claims resolve, so recent quarters show many claims still awaiting a decision.