Britain received 111,084 asylum applications in the 12 months to June 2025, according to Home Office figures released on Thursday. The tally is a 14% jump from the preceding year and the highest since comparable records began in 2001, underscoring the scale of the migration challenge confronting Prime Minister Keir Starmer in his first year in office. Officials said the increase was driven largely by a rise in irregular arrivals, which climbed 27% year on year, with 88% of those reaching the UK by crossing the English Channel in small boats. Labour had campaigned on a promise to "smash the gangs" facilitating the crossings, but the data suggest the flow has continued despite stepped-up enforcement. The number of asylum seekers accommodated in hotels stood at 32,059 at the end of June, up 8% from a year earlier but still well below the peak of 56,042 recorded in September 2023. The latest figures are likely to intensify political pressure on the government, which plans to replace hotel use with larger reception centres and faster processing of claims.