Thank you @stellacreasy.bsky.social for already tabling the motion opposing today’s immigration rules changes. The government should allow scrutiny of their plans and schedule a debate on this motion.
edm.parliament.uk/early-day-mo...
How do these two lists compare? Does the use of the latter make any material difference to how likely it might be for a refugee to actually exercise their right to work?
The statement of changes to the immigration rules www.gov.uk/government/p... and the written statement (which goes wider than the rules changes) are now out questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-stat...
Watching 60 seconds of this film shifted "Britain should protect refugees fleeing war and persecution" to 67% agree, 9% disagree (+58) from baseline 57% agree, 16% disagree (+41) in split sample test.
Images & voices of Ukranians had + impact on attitudes in 2022. Govt messages may do the opposite
Mahmood to set out curbs to asylum seeker support People thought to be migrants onboard a small boat in Gravelines, France, during an attempt to cross the Channel. Picture date: Tuesday March 3, 2026. Image source,PA Media ByPaul Seddon Political reporter Published 8 hours ago Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to detail new policy that will see asylum seekers who break the law, or work illegally, being thrown out of government-funded accommodation and losing their support payments.
Published 29 November 2010 Last updated 5 March 2026 ‐ hide all updates 5 March 2026 Updated guidance to add illegal working as a reason to suspend or stop section 95, section 98 and section 4 support.
The conditions of support policy, which already existed, has seemingly just had a minor change made today, to add illegal working to the list of reasons support can be stopped
www.gov.uk/government/p...
I'm not sure that I see many other options for pre-arrival status determination at the current time. She could spend the next year and a half building an offshored RSD process or work through other asylum authorities e.g. France... but for a few hundred student arrivals....?
Tony Vaughan has a settlement rebellion in backbench signatures, double the welfare one. Neil Duncan-Jordan is another leading public advocate.
Mahmood says 'transitional arrangements' are a consultation issue, where 200k responses were received, so decisions are "later this year" + "in due course"
Mahmood clarified that this isn't a route for students seeking asylum in UK, it's a route for students who are already recognised as refugees: resettlement not asylum. The question is: who will be doing that refugee status determination & how long will it take? presumably UNHCR & a long time
Worth noting that having the potential right to work and being able to exercise that right is a whole other matter. People with disabilities, including related to the trauma of torture, may well not be able to work regardless of having a right in law. Risk is that HO handles this assessment clumsily
The spirit animal is stirring...
A perfect bit of analysis right here 👇. While parts of the world burn, the Govt is busy making pointless but ultimately cruel & dangerous tweaks to work & study visas so that refugees fleeing the kind of chaos that we are seeing on our screens find it even harder to find safety in the UK. Well done!
Written statement on the asylum changes confirms:
- refugees will get 2.5 years leave instead of 5
- covers people who apply from today
- details of 20 year settlement & core protection to come
- doesn’t apply to unaccompanied children (for now)
questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-stat...
Yusuf: "When Nigel is prime minister, there will not be a judge in the country that will be able to prevent flights from leaving."
Worth noting that the political precedents for saying, 'The judiciary cannot in any way check the powers of the executive' is not a happy one.
I'd argue that setting out the retrospective stripping of ILR, and plans for mass, ICE-style arrests, detentions and deportations, is a moment of some risk for Reform, despite immigration being their main policy focus, if and when voters realise what it will mean in practice.
Not content with seeking to dismantle constitutional safeguards that protect our democracy, Farage gunning for Church of England which has, in his words "gone to the dogs". Was its greatest crime allowing transfer of 41 churches to other places of worship or opposing his stance on refugee rights?
Independent journalist has asked first question drawing Zia Yusuf on consequences of Deportation Command in the image of ICE, with reference to violence on streets, divided communities, mass resistance. He dodged the question by talking about US gun laws & their position on cities of sanctuary.
The government’s plan to make refugees wait up to 20 years to settle in the UK would leave people stuck in limbo, unable to properly put down roots, build careers, pursue education or feel a sense of belonging.
Research across Europe shows that long-term uncertainty doesn’t support integration 🧵
Presumably it's about using Ethiopia's geopolitical power, seat of AU, military & economic influence to deal with instability driving displacement from Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea. And ofc interrupting smuggling networks in region.
Haven't seen as much coverage of Foreign Sec's migration cooperation negotiations with Ethiopia (compared to Iraq/KRI migration pact) & wondering how this will work. Ethiopians constitute v small proportion of small boat population so more about stopping Eritreans/Sudanese....? tinyurl.com/29fv5uzm
Useful resource for anyone submitting a response to Earned Settlement proposals from perspective of refugees - Home Office research on refugee mental health & access to employment: highlights barriers caused by mental ill health & need for e.g. benefits & secure housing www.gov.uk/government/p...
Ann Salter, @freedomfromtorture.bsky.social head of clinical services in the north west writes in the @bmj.com about the harmful & retraumatising impact of housing survivors of torture in large sites & former military barracks www.bmj.com/content/391/...
Today marks International Human Rights Day. Only last month the European Convention on Human Rights marked its 75th anniversary. Against the backdrop of this however we are seeing a concerted attack on human rights. We see countries, including the UK, calling for the ECHR to be “reformed” to ensure that migrants, especially those seeking safety having fled war and persecution, have their rights reduced, or ignored entirely. The argument put forward for this is that the rights of some need to be reduced in order to forestall the rise of the far right. We must remember, reducing rights for some reduces rights for everyone. The ECHR was created in the wake of World War 2. Those creating it knew the dangers of extreme ideology better than anyone. They saw the need to protect refugees, and how people must be protected at all costs from having their rights removed. To claim it is “outdated” is to ignore the reasons why it was created in the first place, the protections it provides. If we are to “review” in light of our current times then that must be to strengthen those protections, not weaken them. The very basis of human rights is they must apply equally to all. Those who wrote the ECHR knew first-hand the harm which is caused by saying that some groups deserve fewer protections than others. Our current politicians must not undermine those protections now.
Today is #InternationalHumanRightsDay, and also the day when UK and EU leaders discuss weaken the rights of people fleeing war and persecution.
If the European Convention on Human Rights is to be reformed, it must be to strengthen it, not undermine it.
Read our statement for #Humanrightsday here 👇
The UK government's proposals on changes to settlement (indefinite leave to remain) rules have now been published in a consultation paper, ahead of a statement from the Home Secretary to MPs shortly www.gov.uk/government/c...
My spirit animal joins us (and I am particularly feeling him this week)!
The day after Home Sec announced a raft of punitive policies that deny refugees the safety & stability they need to rebuild their lives, @freedomfromtorture.bsky.social joins @helenbamber.bsky.social in challenging Govt’s failure to consult experts ahead of harmful changes to asylum housing policy
Leaving the ECHR won't stop people risking their lives through Channel crossings but it WOULD harm the rights of both migrants in the UK & our wider communities.
On 75th Anniversary of ECHR, we call on politicians to stop scapegoating & defend human rights.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
FfT has published 'A Place to Heal' a powerful report centring the voices of those in asylum housing & exposing the devastating harm it causes to survivors. The solutions are simple:
✅ Better quality & faster asylum decisions to manage numbers
✅ Locally-tailored, well-resourced housing
I'm just gonna pop this here for any Sun readers who are interested in why refugees actually come to the UK... from @freedomfromtorture.bsky.social report Fleeing a Burning House: www.freedomfromtorture.org/sites/defaul...
Confirmation published yesterday by the Home Office, that Napier barracks will continue to be used to house people seeking asylum until December 2025. It was due to close in September this year following years of criticism and labelled as 'squalid' by a High Court judge: www.gov.uk/government/p...
For anyone despairing at Labour’s “soft surrender” to Reform…. www.bigissue.com/opinion/labour-reform-immigration-policy-racism/
