Why does good news on asylum make some people so angry?

There is one simple fact in the latest immigration figures that deserves attention: the number of asylum seekers living in Hartlepool has fallen by 18% since I was elected.

There are now just 379 people in asylum accommodation in our town. That is the lowest number for three years.

That is 81 fewer people than when I became your MP.

Small boat arrivals in the UK are down by 23 per cent compared to the same period last year.

placeholder image — Small boat arrivals in the UK are down by 23 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Yet whenever there is proof that things are getting better, some people seem almost angry about it.

Why?

I have always believed we should be able to have an honest and sensible debate about immigration.

We should expect our borders to be controlled. We should expect the asylum system to work. And people who have no right to be here should be removed.

Hartlepool MP Jonathan Brash has announced that the number of asylum seekers living in Hartlepool has fallen by nearly a fifth.

When the figures show that these things are happening, we should say so. And the figures are clear.

Across the UK, asylum applications have fallen by 21%, to 85,891 in the year to June 2026. Small boat arrivals are down 23% on the same period last year.

The number of asylum seekers in hotels has fallen by 50% to 16,021. That is down 70% from the peak in 2023.

The asylum decision backlog has fallen by 56%, from more than 90,000 to around 40,000.

And returns and deportations are now at their highest level in 10 years.

None of this means the job is finished, but it does mean something important is happening: The direction of travel is finally the right one.

I also want to make an important point about Hartlepool. There is a small minority of people who see someone from an ethnic minority background and automatically assume they are an asylum seeker.

That is offensive.

People who were born here, people who have lived here all their lives, people who have come here legally, people who work here, pay taxes, run businesses and help our community are not any less British because of the colour of their skin.

We should be able to demand controlled immigration and a properly working asylum system without treating every person who looks different as an illegal migrant.

So, when the figures show progress, let’s acknowledge it.

There is still more to do – but we are now winning this battle.