An analysis of people detained since 2017 has found more than 70 per cent made new claims or legal appeals days before they were due to be removed.

Ministers said the research reveals the extent to which the courts are used by immigration offenders and their lawyers to frustrate attempts to remove them.

They noted the figures show how “meritless” cases slow down the courts and asylum system and delay legitimate applications.

The study is to be used to support the UK government’s case for revising the UK’s asylum regime later this month. Home Secretary Priti Patel will announce a new Sovereign Borders plan to make the system “firm but fair”.

The plan will include measures to stop lawyers using judicial review for “hopeless cases”. Justice Secretary Robert Buckland QC will announce proposals to stop judicial review cases being automatically referred to senior judges. It follows a review that found only 0.2 per cent of 5,500 cases since 2012 were successful. The majority of these were immigration and asylum cases.

Chris Philp, minister for immigration compliance, said: “These last-minute claims waste the time of judges and our courts and delay the process of assessing claims from the most vulnerable. This is why we will comprehensively overhaul our asylum system and build one which is fair but firm. This will allow us to better protect and support those genuinely in need but remove more easily from the UK those with no right to be here.”