Holly Bancroft

Inside UK’s most notorious immigration detention centre Brook House near Gatwick airport was the subject of an independent inquiry after G4S guards were filmed abusing detainees in 2017. Now, The Independent has obtained stark written accounts from officer...

I've been doing some reporting on conditions inside Brook House IRC. I'm keen to speak to anyone who's been held there or who has worked there. Please get in touch if you might be able to help.

Story based on accounts of force used in a month last year:
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Thousands of families hit by refugee visa route pause as scale of crackdown revealed Exclusive: More than 6,000 children will be hit by shutdown after Labour said route was being manipulated by people-smuggling gangs

Thousands of families, including more than 6,000 children, will be hit by the shutdown of a lifeline visa route that allows refugees to reunite in the UK, according to new analysis.

Data projections from the British Red Cross show the impact of the pause.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

UK poverty crisis as 500,000 children in homes trapped in benefit debt cycle Exclusive: Tens of thousands of families are forced to take out loans to cover the five-week wait until their first universal credit payment – but many struggle to pay it back

Poverty crisis laid bare as 500k+ children living in families trapped in benefits debt cycle - a damning sign of the broken welfare system.

Forcing people to take out loans to survive the five-week wait for UC is pushing parents into poverty & food banks.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

REVEALED | More than 16,000 Afghans were secretly brought to the UK in largest covert peacetime evacuation after MoD put them in danger of being targeted by the Taliban

My court fight to lift superinjunction and expose government’s secret failings Social affairs correspondent Holly Bancroft was one of a handful of journalists who knew about a catastrophic Ministry of Defence data leak – but an unprecedented legal order meant it could not be rev...

worth reading from @hollybancroft.bsky.social on a government superinjunction that has just been lifted

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Poor MoD decisions resulted in Afghan commandos being wrongly abandoned, judge finds The Ministry of Defence ordered to publish ‘transparent and accurate’ information about review into Afghan commando cases

New: 'Defects' in decision-making led to Afghan special forces being wrongly denied relocation to the UK, High Court rules

Caseworkers weren't given access to relevant payment records & were 'overly reliant' on UKSF's input

@hollybancroft.bsky.social write-up
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Afghan resettlement schemes to the UK suddenly closed by government Ministers close ‘lifeline’ sanctuary routes for Afghans who worked with British troops and who fought for democracy and womens’ rights

Afghan resettlement schemes to the UK have been closed to new applicants as of today.

MoD's Arap scheme for those who worked alongside British was closed at 3pm today, and the ACRS scheme for Afghans at risk is also shut to new referrals.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

‘I came to the UK for my dream career. Now Home Office errors have left me jobless’ Brazilian student Júlia Couto has been waiting for seven months to find out if she can stay in the UK

A Brazilian fine art student has said her “dreams are on hold” after being left in limbo for seven months due to Home Office visa errors.

“I’ve had to give up on so many dreams and I feel lost in the system," Julia said.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Man with cerebral palsy detained for 10 months by Home Office despite health warning The shocking case emerged in a report into immigration detention which warned sites are becoming increasingly unsafe due to overcrowding

Man with cerebral palsy and epilepsy detained by Home Office for 10 months despite doctor’s warning
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Repeated failings at migrant hotel where asylum seeker killed himself exposed Special report: Staff at hotel were ‘not appropriately trained’ and Home Office officials didn’t know who was providing crucial services

Repeated failings at migrant hotel where asylum seeker killed himself exposed

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Last summer was second worst for common UK butterflies since 1976 More than half of Britain’s 59 native species are in long-term decline, UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme finds

Last year was another disastrous summer for British butterflies. These declines are the tip of an invertebrate iceberg that's melting away. The only way to stop these losses is to radically reset the way we live, work, eat and farm. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Children experiencing malnutrition and stunted growth in Home Office asylum hotels Nearly 1,500 complaints escalated by help service to Home Office accommodation providers last year, new data reveals

Hundreds of complaints escalated to Home Office asylum hotel providers last year:

I've been looking at some of the evidence to MPs for their asylum accommodation inquiry and there are some very concerning cases submitted and clear safeguarding issues.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Girl, 13, posted on TikTok she wouldn’t live beyond 14 before she died, coroner hears Social media platform will be compelled to provide evidence in case of 13-year-old’s death

Tiktok will be compelled to give evidence in 13-year-old Maia Walsh's inquest.

Pre-inquest review hearing heard yesterday that she had been watching 'concerning' content on the app before she died.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Post-Covid anxiety is key driver in children skipping school, pilot programme finds Children lost an estimated 11.5 million days of learning last autumn term as school absence rates remain higher than pre-pandemic

Anxiety and poor mental health exacerbated by the pandemic is a key driver behind the school absence crisis, a programme supporting students to return to the classroom has found.

www.independent.co.uk/news/educati...

A mother who admitted killing her baby 27 years ago said her arrest in 2023 was a “relief”, telling detectives: “It’s not easy to live with all that time. I thought this would happen, you don’t get away with anything forever”.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crim...

The people struggling to make ends meet as benefits lag behind soaring rents New analysis has found almost half of all private renters who receive housing benefit experience a shortfall between the government support and monthly rents. Holly Bancroft and Albert Toth speak to c...

A serious problem at the moment. Rising rents are rapidly outstripping frozen housing benefits, leaving so many in impossible situations.

One man I spoke to, Steve, told me that almost all of his health benefits go towards his private rent now.

The layered consequences of inadequacy and inaction:

From sewage and scum to swimming in ‘blue gold’: how Switzerland transformed its rivers In the 1960s, the Swiss had some of the dirtiest water in Europe. Now, their cities boast pristine rivers and lakes – and other countries are looking to follow their lead

A nice positive story for a Monday: how Switzerland cleaned up its polluted lakes and rivers

A Viral Video of a Chained Woman in China and the Secret Campaign to Save Her The accidental discovery of the woman led to a video that went viral, spurring public outrage. The Communist Party quashed the discussion, but the anger never went away.

The Secret Campaign in China to Save a Woman Chained by the Neck

really extraordinary reporting of a grim story of human bondage and state silencing of protest in China

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Breaking: Kyle Clifford looked up Andrew Tate's podcast the night before raping and murdering his ex-girlfriend and killing her sister and mother

Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said Louise Hunt's friends and family had already noticed "misogynistic traits" and seen him watching a Tate video

Boys in England significantly outperforming girls in maths for first time in decades Girls’ lack of confidence studying maths and science could be impacting their results, academics warn

Boys in England are significantly outperforming girls in maths and science, according to a new study.

Research from UCL shows that a huge disparity emerged between boys and girls in maths education in 2023 - ending years of similar results.

www.independent.co.uk/news/educati...

Children are starting primary school struggling to communicate, teachers have warned.

The findings come as early years charities and organisations today publish a list of things children should be able to do before they arrive at reception.

www.independent.co.uk/news/educati...

Criminals using AI images to extort children, new NSPCC chief warns Chris Sherwood speaks to Holly Bancroft in his first interview since becoming the children’s charity CEO about the challenges facing this generation’s children

NSPCC are launching their six-point action plan for children today. One of the asks is new legislation to tackle the emerging risks from generative AI.

You can read my interview with their CEO Chris Sherwood here:
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

London air pollution down since Ulez extended to outer boroughs, study finds Levels of deadly pollutants have dropped, with significant improvements in capital’s most deprived areas

People in London have been breathing significantly cleaner air since the expansion of the ultra low emission zone #ULEZ

#airpollution
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Vulnerable woman who lay dead in flat for three years ‘left to fend for herself’ Laura Winham’s family say she would still be alive if social services had checked on her following police referral

A vulnerable woman who lay dead in her flat for three years was "left to fend for herself" by social services despite police warnings, her family have said.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

UK urged to act now on net zero – and skip two kebabs’ worth of meat a week Climate Change Committee issues advice to government on meeting carbon emissions target by 2050

UK urged to act now on net zero – and skip two kebabs’ worth of meat a week

- Climate Change Committee issues advice to government on meeting carbon emissions target by 2050

Story by @fionaharvey.bsky.social

#climatecrisis
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Girl found in holdall in car boot trafficked to UK after being handed to police Officers using pain-inducing techniques on a detainee among report’s shocking findings

Girl, 14, found in holdall in car boot trafficked to UK after being handed over to French police, report says

New inspection report into UK-run short term holding sites in France.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

‘I’m being kicked out of Britain after 14 years – leaving my sick mother alone’ Asma Khan has been told she will be deported to Pakistan and be separated from her ill mother, who is allowed to stay

Asma Khan has been told she will be deported to Pakistan and be separated from her mother. Britain has been her home for 14 years, and they've not been allowed to work, study or get benefits for nearly a decade.

Thanks to Asma for sharing her story:
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

“I was sleeping, and then all of a sudden I heard this horrible sound..."

Cockroaches climbing in ears, lifts that haven't worked for years and water being cut off - life in the Croydon flat block linked to billionaire property landlord Asif Aziz
www.londoncentric.media/p/asif-aziz-...

Suicide attempts among hundreds of incidents at ‘highly dangerous’ UK asylum camp Exclusive: More than one incident at day at asylum camp branded ‘an unmitigated disaster’

Self-harm and suicide attempts are among over 400 incidents recorded at the government’s flagship asylum camp last year – shining a spotlight on the “highly dangerous” conditions at the site that Sir Keir Starmer tried to shut down.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

MoD in legal battle over evacuation of Afghan special forces commandos to UK Hundreds of former Afghan soldiers are being brought to the UK as part of ongoing evacuation

MoD is facing legal action over the evacuation of former Afghan commandos to the UK.

Legal challenge is being brought over how the Triples review is being carried out.

Piece below with new stats on UK accommodation.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...