The Government really splurged last year, spending a whopping £79m on legal battles against the Home Office. This was more than what they spent in the previous three years combined! According to a Freedom of Information Request by the Refugee and Migrant Forum of Essex and London (RAMFEL), the Conservative administration shelled out £79,603,815 on judicial reviews against the Home Office in 2023.
Nick Beales, Head of Campaigning at RAMFEL, pointed out that the Home Office, under Suella Braverman and James Cleverly, was determined to defend every challenge as they tried to fulfill then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s promise to stop small boat crossings.
Jo Wilding, a migration and asylum-focused barrister, highlighted that policy decisions like the Rwanda deportation scheme and the Nationality and Borders Act led to more litigation against the Home Office. She also mentioned the poor administration and delays in decision-making within the department.
A Home Office spokesperson attributed these costs to decisions made by the previous administration, stating that the public expects a firm and fair immigration system that sometimes requires defending cases in court.
Since taking office, Keir Starmer’s Labour Government has scrapped the Tory policy of deporting migrants to Rwanda and established the ‘UK Border Security Command’ to tackle small boat crossings and smuggling gangs.
The increase in litigation spending last year reflects a breakdown in communication between the government and the immigration sector, according to Beales. He emphasized that engagement and collaboration could have been more effective than resorting to litigation.
Overall, these figures shed light on how Home Office expenditure surged as Tory ministers tried to crack down on people reaching the UK via small boats. This was a key policy focus for Sunak before losing the General Election to Starmer’s Labour.
Last week, PoliticsHome reported that the Home Office spent over half a billion pounds on temporary staff in the last two years to address backlogs in asylum applications. In contrast, they spent just £88.8m on temporary staff in 2019-2020.