Britain’s ‘failing’ asylum system in numbers

LONDON —  Rishi Sunak has pledged again and again to “stop the boats.” It’s easier said than done.

The British prime minister is staking his political reputation on making the simple slogan real, vowing to reduce the numbers of asylum seekers making the perilous journey across the English Channel.

But the data tells a more complex story.

POLITICO crunched the numbers to illustrate the pressures on Britain’s asylum system — recently described as “failing” by one of the Conservative Party’s own top figures — and the challenges Sunak must confront as he tries to convince the public he is getting a grip.