Data undermines Jenrick’s claim about asylum seekers saying they are children

Minister said up to a fifth of adult males seeking asylum pretended to be children, but Home Office figures say it is 1%

A claim made in parliament by the immigration minister that up to a fifth of adult male asylum seekers pretend to be children when they arrive in the UK has been undermined by the Home Office’s own data, which shows the actual figure is just 1%.

The fact-checking organisation Full Fact has obtained new freedom of information data which shows that between 1 January and 7 November 2022 only around 1% of all males arriving on small boats at Western Jet Foil claimed to be under 18 but were then later found to be over 18.