NEW EU figures on asylum have spectacularly exploded the lies perpetuated by the Tories and the right-wing media that Britain is being besieged by “swarms” of refugees.

Statistics published yesterday by the EU data agency Eurostat show that Britain received just one in 30 of the total number of the asylum claims made by new applicants in EU countries between April and June.

A total of 7,470 people making their first application and their dependents sought refuge in this country — a mere 3.5 per cent of the total of 213,200 registered across the EU.