Asylum seekers fall by more than 40pc as tighter rules bite By Philip Johnston, Home Affairs Editor (Filed: 25/02/2004) The number of people claiming asylum in Britain fell by more than 40 per cent last year, the Home Office said yesterday. In 2003, 61,000 applications for political refugee status were made, compared with the record number of 104,000 in 2002. The reduction fell short of Tony Blair's promise to halve applications last year. But while the total remained the highest in Europe, the decline was greater than anywhere else in the European Union. The fall is put down to the...