Blair’s Fury Over Rising Asylum Claims in 1999 Revealed in Newly Released Documents

Published on July 24, 2024

Sir Tony Blair was furious with the Home Office for failing to get a handle on a mounting backlog of asylum claims when he was prime minister in 1999, government files released on Tuesday revealed. Papers from the National Archives show that Sir Tony, who at the time was just shy of two years into his premiership, complained about the lack of action to cut the “vast numbers” entering the country. His comments have emerged at a time when curbing the number of migrants arriving in Britain is a key political issue. Then prime minister Sir Tony’s intervention followed a warning from Jack Straw, who was home secretary at the time, in February 1999 that a “surge” in arrivals meant the total that year was expected to reach 59,000—up from a previous estimate of 42,000....

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