Lives are in danger because of Labour’s failure to deport people with no right to live in the UK, the Conservatives have warned amid mounting concern about the state of the asylum and immigration system.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp pointed to a spike in deaths and serious injuries involving people held under immigration or asylum detention powers. The number of cases referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) jumped from four in 2022-23 to 17 in 2025-26.

Mr Philp said: “Labour continue to preside over a catastrophic collapse of the asylum system, and lives are being put at risk due to their failure. If Labour had any backbone, they would remove illegal immigrants rather than detaining them indefinitely. Swift deportation would also deter Channel crossings in the first place, meaning fewer people in detention.”

At the end of March, 1,955 people were held in a detention facility or a prison – 8% more than in same period last year. Over the course of the 12 months to March, 22,586 people were detained.

The Home Office says that during this time 43,806 cases of people arriving in the UK illegally were detected, with small boat arrivals accounting for nine in 10 incidents.

It says people with no right to stay in the UK were returned on 39,000 occasions.

However, there is great concern about the backlog of asylum cases. At the end of June 2024, there were 224,742 cases in the asylum system – with 40% awaiting an initial decision.

At the end of March, 97,519 people were receiving asylum support – down from a peak of 123,758 at the end of September 2023. Of these, 20,885 were in hotel accommodation; 72,768 were in other forms of housing.

Westminster’s public accounts committee last month warned of a “system on the brink” with “missing asylum seekers and mounting backlogs”. It called for a “complete overhaul” of the system for monitoring failed asylum seekers, with the Home Office admitting it does “not count absolutely everybody out of the country”.

A Freedom of Information request by the Conservatives to the IOPC asking about deaths or serious injuries in custody or detention revealed it received 36 referrals between 2021-22 and 2025-26 mentioning asylum and/or immigration.

The Conservatives claim the Home Office has “no coherent removal strategy for those whose claims have failed, meaning illegal immigrants spend longer in detention, in conditions that are increasingly dangerous”.

Mr Philp said only his party had a credible plan to “deter crossings at source and swiftly deport those with no right to be here”.

Imran Hussain of the Refugee Council, said: “This rise in death or serious injury is concerning, and steps should be taken to ensure safeguards are in place and working effectively. The British public do not want to see unfair or dangerous conditions. They want to see a compassionate and controlled asylum system that treats people with respect and makes fair asylum decisions quickly. That way, refugees can start integrating and contributing to British life, as they always have, and those with no right to stay can be supported to leave voluntarily. Supporting voluntary returns costs far less than detention, avoids lengthy stays, and allows people to be treated with dignity.”