Critics say it shows Britain is seen as a "soft touch" and an easier place to seek refuge than France. In 2010 only around 25 percent of asylum pleas were accepted. But Home Office figures show 64 percent - almost two-thirds - are now successful, with people from Iran, Eritrea, Albania, Iraq and Syria lodging the most applications. It means that 9,516 applicants were granted some form of asylum in the past year - roughly 25 a day - while just 5,242 were rejected.

       Ten years ago, the comparable figures were 5,198 being accepted, while 15,066 were turned down. However, the current and historic figures are both underestimates as they only cover migrants' first applications and not whether they are eventually allowed to remain after appeal.

       The figures also show how the asylum system is now swamped with applicants. In the past 12 months there were 37,562 asylum applications lodged, more than double the figure 10 years ago. It means applications are taking longer to process with 70,808 cases currently awaiting a decision, of which 44,018 have been pending for more than six months.

       Experts believe there has been a surge in applications in the past year as travel restrictions eased after Covid lockdowns and dangerous small boat Channel crossings increased.