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.

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.

Ms Crawley 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 chasing up the Home Office for issues which could have been resolved within a few weeks.

“Calling every day, only to be told that the claims are being processed but with no progress, it’s like talking to a brick wall.

“The Home Secretary needs to get her priorities straight.

“Instead of criminalising vulnerable people who travel to the UK on small boats, she should be investing more resources into clearing the backlog.”