Ben Whitham

Dear Shabana, I notice today that you referred to me in your speech on immigration at the IPPR think tank. You said: “A party leader should not be on the beaches of France encouraging people to make a perilous crossing on small boats.” I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised especially after the hateful Labour campaign in Gorton and Denton, but this is just the latest in a string of lies peddled by a discredited Government who intentionally fan the flames of racism and division. When I went to Calais, I was not there to encourage people to travel to the UK. I was there to see at first hand the suffering your Government and successive Governments have done in demonising migrants in a pathetic bid to pander to the base instincts of Reform and the flawed strategy of Morgan McSweeney. As you will know, if you even bothered to research my visit instead of taking Reform talking points, I was there to witness the brutality of families living in tents in freezing temperatures. I filled water tanks and picked up litter. What that visit did do is confirm my belief that if we are to smash the boat gangs and stop the boats, we need to offer safer and managed routes for migrants to come to this country. Showing compassion as a politician is not a crime. In fact, we need to see much more of it. It reminded me of a young MP who in October 2015 spent three days in Lesbos helping migrants fleeing war-torn Syria. She posted videos on X, talked about handing out water and croissants to refugees and food parcels. When she returned to the UK, she wrote a very moving piece in the New Statesman. She said “we have to work with our European partners and create new, safe, and legal routes for refugees to get to Europe. We cannot abandon them to their fate, left as prey for smugglers whilst risking death on the seas.” She said “maybe we can make ourselves feel better by saying no-one is making them get on the boats. And again, the Home Secretary is not entirely wrong when …

Dear Shabana,

Let's clear some things up around migration and remember we're talking about people's lives.

Most Reform members believe non-white UK citizens born abroad should be forced or encouraged to leave, poll finds Nigel Farage’s attempts to appeal to centre-ground voters may cause tension in his party, according to Hope Not Hate

But you mustn't call them racist, apparently...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Whether they call it a "difficult system", as Shabana Mahmood does today, or a "hostile environment", as Theresa May did in 2012, Labour and the Conservatives are equally committed to regressive, reactionary, and racist immigration policies that do nothing but harm to the UK and its communities.

Refugee status to be temporary as Shabana Mahmood rips up rules on UK asylum Home secretary announces 30-month protection limit, with refugees required to leave if their home countries are later judged safe

Today is a dark day for anyone who believes in sanctuary in the UK.

People who've fled war and torture should be able to rebuild their lives in peace and security - not live under a constant threat of removal.

We must not stop fighting these appalling anti-refugee laws.

"Everything is politics...You don't get to make art in a fascist state"

CMAT delivering, mar is gnách. 👏

(Same goes for sport btw)

#Speirgorm

I was at the count in Gorton and Denton last night and we all saw Matt Goodwin eat ballot papers. His girlfriend and team begged him to stop but he kept stuffing it into his mouth and making grunting sounds like the Cookie Monster

A month later, a resounding Green victory in Gorton and Denton, and the same media are acting like this was completely unpredictable and can only mean pure chaos is coming for us all (bc people couldn't possibly actually *want* something other than more racism and poverty)

should be bigger news that the campaign manager for matt "black + brown ppl aren't brits even when born and raised here" goodwin has been suspended by his racist party for posts too explicitly racist for them. but it's a minor, buried story presumably bc most media are ok with reform winning gorton

Thanks to extreme process-as-punishment measures, many people have suffered greatly for defying this ban, even if they have not been convicted, or will now have their convictions quashed.
It all points to a very grim conclusion: democracy in the UK is being stifled.
By a Labour government.

Nearly 3,000 peaceful people have been arrested under this outrageous ban.
It was brought in after lobbying by arms companies and Netanyahu's government.
It has been condemned by UN rapporteurs and many other experts.
All the while, our government has been collaborating in real state terrorism.

such democracy! so liberal!

Meloni given powers to block migrants with navy Italy's government proposes 'naval blockade' to stop boats ث Giorgia Meloni was elected in 2022 on a promise to tackle illegal immigration Credit: Simona Granati-Corbis/via Getty Images Our Foreign Staff 12 February 2026 9:06am GMT Italy's government has proposed using a "naval blockade" to block migrant boats from reaching its shores.

Well, that's pretty certain to violate a number of international laws. What it isn't going to do is stop people seeking asylum in Europe, just as the EUs latest spectacularly inhumane "offshoring" proposals won't. All it does is shift routes, likely to even more dangerous ones which cost more lives.

I just completed this consultation. I’m disgusted at the extreme and punitive changes being proposed and I am also incensed at the grossly punitive and divisive way the consultation itself is structured /-/ questions focus either on how much should we further punish migrants,

Israel is a top 10 global arms exporter. In 2024 arms exports rose to $14.9 billion, with 54% of those purchases made by Europe (MOD data). The UK spends millions of pounds each year on “battle-tested” arms from Israeli companies.

This 👇 is what "battle-tested means".

300,000 children face 10-year wait for settled status under UK plans, says IPPR Thinktank analysis says proposed ‘earned settlement’ changes could trap families in prolonged insecurity

Good to see some Labour MPs showing a backbone, but the problems with these proposals on settlement aren't limited to being applied retrospectively: they also favour the well-off, discriminate vs disabled people, women & people with caring responsibilities and are probably unworkable

300,000 children face 10-year wait for settled status under UK plans, says IPPR Thinktank analysis says proposed ‘earned settlement’ changes could trap families in prolonged insecurity

"The proposals would extend insecurity for families, with damaging consequences for integration, educational opportunities and child poverty." @ippr.org

Pushing more people onto this punishing route will only entrench the hardship people in our community already face. This is not the answer.

The Cranston Inquiry into the deaths of at least 30 people in the Channel in November 2021 today reported that "There was a widely held belief among HM Coastguard personnel that callers from small boats regularly exaggerated their level of distress". This is evident in emergency call transcripts.

Spanish PM defends plans to regularise half a million undocumented migrants Responding to critics of policy, Pedro Sánchez says Spain is choosing path of ‘dignity, community and justice’

“Half a million people we live with every day, at the market, on the bus, at our children’s school. People who care for our parents, work in the fields, who have built, hand in hand with us, the progress of our country”.
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

The way he stresses that people protesting the genocide of Palestinians joining the Green party will change its "complexion" is... well, "dog-whistle" would imply a level of subtlety that's just not there.

"I'm coming to Boston and I'm bringing hell with me."
--Homan in February

"Do I expect violence to escalate? Absolutely."
-- Tom Homan in March

"I actually thought about getting up and throwing that man a beating right there in the middle of the room"
-- Homan in July, referring to a D congressman

Couldn’t access? That’s a baby with a stuffie.

She was denied access — killed — by agents of the US government who hold babies in detention & torture them to death. Sickle cell is horribly painful.

If this is what passes for decency among politicians there really is no hope for us.

SHAME.

The newly announced Reform candidate for Gorton and Denton, echoing Enoch Powell's explicit racism a couple of months ago. For these white supremacists, UK citizenship is merely a "piece of paper", and Black and Brown people will never be *truly* British.

the Greens are the clear favourite with all bookies to win Gorton and Denton, but the story everywhere is Labour "gifting" the seat to Reform by blocking Burnham - apparently it doesn't matter that this is not a reflection of reality, since it better fits the established media line

"Up to 380 people may have drowned attempting to cross the Mediterranean last week". The West's normalisation of the mass death of black Africans (because that is predominantly who these people are) will never be less than devastating.

‘Brazen’ political influence of rich laid bare as wealth of billionaires reaches $18.3tn, says Oxfam Governments opting for oligarchy while brutally repressing protests over austerity and lack of jobs, charity report says

This would not happen in a democracy, which is why, if we are serious about our commitment to it, we must accept we do not currently live in democracies and that moving towards such a system would require radical change rather than faith in the status quo

www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

According to IOM Libya, 394 people were intercepted and returned to Libya from 11 to 17 January 2026.

📣A reminder that people pushed back to Libya by EU-funded Libyan authorities are sent to detention centres, where they face exploitation, trafficking, forced labour, and sexual violence.

ICYMI over the weekend @hebagowayed.bsky.social and I made the case for abolishing ICE in @us.theguardian.com.

It’s not controversial to say an out of control agency that tear-gasses kids and shoots moms in the head shouldn’t exist. It’s basic decency.

"Mr Prime Minister, the President of the US is continuing to threaten a NATO ally, what do you say?"

"Zack Polanski and Ed Davey should stop posting on social media and be more like Kemi Badenoch"

„Since the Gaza ceasefire was announced, 100 days ago, on 8 October, Israel's military attacks continue. Over 440 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed. Over 2,500 residential buildings have been destroyed, leaving people forced into displacement. Severe restrictions on aid inflows persist.“