To claim asylum in the UK you must be physically present in the UK. Which means that functionally, there are no "proper channels" through which the vast majorit

To claim asylum in the UK you must be physically present in the UK. Which means that functionally, there are no "proper channels" through which the vast majority of these asylum seekers could apply they have to cross the UK borders illegally first. But that wasn't the point of my comment, I was pointing out that this policy is only in place because the government has completely failed to prevent these border crossings and this policy is essentially just them giving up on trying. I would be quite surprised if the policy ever actually comes into effect given the timing of its announcement before the local elections.