Gaps in UK migration statistics hamper public debate and policy decisions, study shows | Immigration and asylum
Gaps in official migration statistics are hindering public debate and policy decisions, including litigation over human rights laws, according to a leading think tank.
The University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory has identified 10 areas where information is missing, including immigration practices and returns and the size of the population living undocumented in the UK.
The research also revealed how difficult it is to understand how many migrant cases are affected by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which the government is trying to replace and the Reform and Conservative Party have vowed to abandon.
An analysis published on Friday found there was too little data to establish who and how many people applied and were given permission to remain in the UK through the contract or successfully appealed against their removal.
Madeleine Sumption, director of the think tank, said: “The UK’s membership of the ECHR is an important issue of public debate, largely due to its implications for immigration policy.
“However, the available data cannot give us a clear picture of where and when this will have the greatest impact. This makes it difficult for the public or policymakers to make an informed choice about an important decision that will have long-term implications for the UK.”
The investigation comes after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced a series of changes to the asylum system and immigration rules as she looks to fulfill Keir Starmer’s promise to reduce the total number of people coming into the country.
As part of the asylum proposals, ministers will seek to introduce legislation that would prevent human rights laws being used to block deportations and make it easier to remove people.
One of the themes the Migration Observatory found in the research was that records of a person’s migration journey were poorly linked.
Peter Walsh, senior researcher at the think tank, said: “These evidence gaps are particularly challenging when trying to track asylum seekers through the immigration system: official data cannot tell us much about what happens to asylum seekers who are rejected but not returned, or what and what objections some people make when they are told they must leave the UK.
“These are important questions, especially at a time when the government is planning to reform the immigration and asylum application system.”
Political opponents criticized the government’s failure to publish incomplete statistics.
Max Wilkinson, the Liberal Democrats’ home affairs spokesman, said: “This confirms what we already knew – the Home Office cannot be trusted to get things done because it doesn’t even record data properly.
“With people like Nigel Farage routinely spreading dangerous claims, it’s even more important that the government knows what’s really going on.”
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: “Labour refuses to publish key enforcement data and avoids saying how many cases are affected by human rights laws. This Labor government is keeping the country in the dark because the truth will reveal how weak and inept their approach really is.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “These findings are unacceptable, but they are a product of the government’s legacy of an out-of-control immigration system.
“We are currently pursuing major reform to restore order and control at our border and ensure our immigration system is fair for British citizens. Under this government, net immigration to the UK has fallen by two-thirds and removals of illegal immigrants have also increased by 23% to around 50,000.”
