The problem with that, though, is that the asylum backlog - the number of people waiting for an asylum decision - has increased since Labour took power, and stands at 90,698.
That means despite a record number of applications, fewer people - 39,616 - were given asylum in 2024 than in 2023 - 63,000 - under the Conservatives.
But those two (somewhat overlapping) categories, small boat arrivals and asylum seekers, are only a tiny part of the whole immigration picture, which is overwhelmingly legal migration.
The gangs are as yet un-smashed: the number of people who arrived on small boats in 2024 was 25% higher than 2023, but down from 2022.
The most asylum applications on record - but also, perhaps, the beginning of a crackdown under Labour.
