Editorial: Of course a nation as weak as the UK sees asylum fraud, given the chronic laxness in the UK immigration processing system

The BBC has found that asylum seekers are pretending they are gay to stay in the UK.

​Downing Street has reacted to the finding by saying that migrants found to lie about their sexuality to claim asylum will be removed.

The BBC has found law firms and advisers who charged thousands of pounds to help asylum seekers pretend they have a same-sex orientation to try to stay in the UK.

This is good work by the BBC, but should not surprise anyone given the chronic laxness in the UK immigration processing system.

For years migrants were treated only as victims, not as human beings with agency who might be making a calculated – indeed rational, in light of our almost open borders – choice to travel to Britain, legally or otherwise. The BBC itself has often been among the most credulous in presenting this impression to viewers (how many times, for example, has the BBC NI website led on a report of yet more alleged racism against incomers? You rarely hear stories about the generosity and tolerance of the population of this province, in making it a welcoming place for people who love here).

In response to the BBC report about bogus sexuality claims, the prime minister’s spokesman said people trying to defraud the UK immigration system will “have their asylum claim cancelled, support cut off and find themselves on a one-way flight out of Britain”. Let’s hope so but it is far too little, far too late.

The last government lost control of immigration, above all under Boris Johnson at his most foolish, but also under the previous prime ministers. It was almost a badge of pride to be a Tory who supported more immigration, like a Tory who backed gay marriage or Net Zero. Labour, however, has somehow managed to be far worse.

The UK is still a soft touch, and still seen to be so among would-be immigrants.