内容摘要：Anya Wood, a theatre trustee, said the "day was full of talent, warmth and hope for the Playhouse".

Anya Wood, a theatre trustee, said the "day was full of talent, warmth and hope for the Playhouse".

This refers to the backlog of claims by asylum seekers who are waiting to hear whether they will be granted refugee status and be allowed to remain in the UK.Since last summer, there has been a 58% increase in decisions on asylum cases.

This, combined with a recent fall in applications has meant the overall backlog of asylum cases has fallen compared with the end of June 2024.Under Labour, 40% of asylum claims were granted between January and March 2025.Another backlog the government wants to clear is the mountain of court appeals from asylum seekers following rejected claims.

That backlog has got worse since last summer's election.There were about 33,000 cases at the end of June, rising to nearly 42,000 in December - the highest total since at least 2015.

The government has also promised to "increase returns" of people with no legal right to be in the UK. It said it would set up a new returns and enforcement unit with 1,000 extra staff.

Between July 2024 (when Labour came to power) and May 2025,The navy agreed to add time to his service record so that he received a military pension in addition to the state pension.

But crucially, Mr Williams says he was not given a say in when he left the armed forces, and rather was told he would leave the navy on 28 November 1970.Others who applied at the same time were given a discharge date in 1972.

"You're told when you're going. [Your discharge date] was not disclosed until some time later. There was nothing I could do about it," Mr Williams said.Mr Williams and his wife Wendy believe about 400 men were discharged in the same 'first wave' as him, with about 2,600 going in the 'second wave' in 1972, receiving a substantially improved pension.