What would it look like if we had an honest debate about asylum? How would our national conversation sound if it was grounded in reason rather than hysteria? The answer to that question lies in this morning’s National Audit Office (NAO) report on the asylum system. It reveals a profound truth which no-one likes to concede: That the primary responsibility for the chaos in the asylum system lies not with refugees, but with government.

The NAO is one of the last great British institutions, the kind of thing that reminds you of what there is to be proud of about this country. It’s an independent parliamentary body responsible for auditing government departments and public bodies. It approaches its job thoroughly, empirically, without partisanship, and on the basis of expertise.

The report

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