07 September 2026 , 10:31
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The unidentified official who worked for years processing and assessing asylum claims said that there is an epidemic of people using the ’same script’ to try and gain asylum in the UK.
He also spoke about ’package claims’ - for example a large number of Iraqi Kurds who claimed asylum saying they had been in a relationship with the daughter of the prime minister of the Kurdistan region.
He said that ’hundreds’of people claimed to have been involved with the daughter and it became a ’running joke’ in their department.
The whistleblower also told The Times that ’hundreds’ of claims had been made by Pakistani applicants who claimed their lives were in danger in their home country - because they were in a gay relationship with the same man who had supplied letters backing up their claims.
He also raised concerns about applicants from Bangladesh who said they were dissidents of the former governing party which is now banned - but they were unable to answer basic questions about the group.
The official, dubbed ’J’ told the Times: “At best 1 per cent of asylum seekers are genuine.
“There’s almost no aspect of the asylum system that isn’t either a massive fraud or just really dysfunctional. Nothing works as it should.”
He said that the current system allows migrants several months to prepare for a ’substantive interview’ lasting several hours - however he believes they should be made to explain their reason for claiming asylum immediately.
He also said that decision makers were banned from contacting the individuals’ countries of origin due to confidentiality rules and to protect applicants from persecution.
The Home Office said asylum claims were carried out on an individual basis by trained decision-makers who assess all available evidence, including their account, any supporting documentation and information relevant to their country.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We do not comment on anonymous briefings.
“The home secretary has been clear that those trying to defraud the British people to remain in the UK will have their application refused and find themselves on a one-way flight out of Britain.”
Deputy Editor