Just 1 in 3 illegal immigrants get the boot
By Graeme Wilson
The Sun, 15/03/2010



LESS than a THIRD of failed asylum seekers are being booted out of Britain, shock new figures reveal.

About 27,000 were told to leave in 2008 - but fewer than 8,000 were removed.

Meanwhile the cost of paying benefits to asylum rejects has rocketed by 1,700 PER CENT in five years. The figures will stoke fears that Labour has lost its grip on the asylum system.

Home Office figures show 26,832 "removal notices" were slapped on failed applicants in 2008.

But only 7,850 were thrown out of the country - or agreed to go voluntarily. The number being removed each year has FALLEN from more than 12,200 just five years ago. The failure to tackle the problem has left thousands of unsuccessful applicants living here on handouts.

About £73million was spent on support for them in 2007-08, up from £4million five years earlier.

Shadow immigration minister Damian Green said: "This is a terrible picture of a system which is still not fit for purpose.

"This is unfair to both the taxpayer and the individuals involved. Britain urgently needs significant change in this area." Immigration minister Phil Woolas defended Labour's record.

He said: "The removal process is sometimes delayed by applicants who frustrate it by further legal challenges."

He added that "difficulties in deporting people to some countries and the reluctance of some individuals to comply with documentation requirements" further hindered the process.

g.wilson@the-sun.co.uk