Fiona Costello

Closing asylum hotels: What will the policy mean in practice? - UK in a changing Europe Ali Ahmadi, Catherine Barnard and Fiona Costello look at the implications of the Labour governmen's promise to close all asylum hotels.

"Closing asylum hotels may redistribute costs and pressures rather than reducing them, let alone eliminating them."

✍️ Ali Ahmadi, @cbarnard.bsky.social & @fionacostello.bsky.social look at the implications of the government’s promise to close all asylum hotels

🔗 ukandeu.ac.uk/closing-asyl...

"Simply making conditions harsher in the hope it will deter arrivals appears, based on the evidence, unlikely to achieve the desired effect."

✍️ @cbarnard.bsky.social, @fionacostello.bsky.social & Ali Ahmadi on 'pull factors' & whether stricter asylum policies matter

🔗 ukandeu.ac.uk/what-are-the...

New blog by our Director Prof @cbarnard.bsky.social and Dr @fionacostello.bsky.social

What are the pull factors for those seeking asylum in the UK? - UK in a changing Europe Ali Ahmadi, Catherine Barnard and Fiona Costello look at the reasons why asylum seekers come to the UK and to what extent UK asylum policy is a factor in the decision.

"Simply making conditions harsher in the hope it will deter arrivals appears, based on the evidence, unlikely to achieve the desired effect."

✍️ @cbarnard.bsky.social, @fionacostello.bsky.social & Ali Ahmadi on whether stricter asylum policy would act as a deterrant

🔗 ukandeu.ac.uk/what-are-the...

What are the pull factors for those seeking asylum in the UK? - UK in a changing Europe Ali Ahmadi, Catherine Barnard and Fiona Costello look at the reasons why asylum seekers come to the UK and to what extent UK asylum policy is a factor in the decision.

"Simply making conditions harsher in the hope it will deter arrivals appears, based on the evidence, unlikely to achieve the desired effect."

✍️ @cbarnard.bsky.social, @fionacostello.bsky.social & Ali Ahmadi on whether stricter asylum policy will act as a deterrant

🔗 ukandeu.ac.uk/what-are-the...

What are the pull factors for those seeking asylum in the UK? - UK in a changing Europe Ali Ahmadi, Catherine Barnard and Fiona Costello look at the reasons why asylum seekers come to the UK and to what extent UK asylum policy is a factor in the decision.

"The available evidence shows that there is a far more complex relationship between asylum policy and asylum inflow than a simple ‘pull factor’ model would suggest."

✍️ @cbarnard.bsky.social, @fionacostello.bsky.social & Ali Ahmadi on why asylum seekers come to the UK

ukandeu.ac.uk/what-are-the...

‘A lot of fear’: the families bearing brunt of Sweden’s immigration crackdown Many of those moved into an asylum return centre have held jobs for years and can speak the language

Source: The Guardian
search.app/qDFpM

Can the system deliver on the government’s proposed reforms? - UK in a changing Europe Ali Ahmadi, Catherine Barnard and Fiona Costello explore whether it is possible to deliver the reforms to the asylum system proposed by the Labour government.

"Without these, the system risks creating constant administrative churn, expanding backlogs, heavier burdens on public services, and deep insecurity for refugees."

✍️ Catherine Barnard, Fiona Costello & Ali Ahmadi on Labour's proposed reforms to the asylum system

🔗 https://ow.ly/uTBI50XY0UG

Labour’s asylum appeals overhaul: what the new system means in practice - UK in a changing Europe Ali Ahmadi, Catherine Barnard, Fiona Costello explain what Labour's proposed overhaul in the asylum appeals process will mean in practice.

"By contrast, rapid processes introduced by the Sunak govt have not led to good decision-making and thus to a large number of (successful) appeals"

@cbarnard.bsky.social, @fionacostello.bsky.social & Ali Ahmadi on Labour's proposals to emulate the Danish asylum system

ukandeu.ac.uk/labours-asyl...

Labour’s asylum appeals overhaul: what the new system means in practice - UK in a changing Europe Ali Ahmadi, Catherine Barnard, Fiona Costello explain what Labour's proposed overhaul in the asylum appeals process will mean in practice. 

"Whether this will reduce delays and costs without increasing the risk of wrong decisions will be the key question about the reforms"

✍️ Catherine Barnard, Fiona Costello & Ali Ahmadi on Labour’s proposals to overhaul the asylum appeals system

https://ukandeu.ac.uk/labours-asylum-appeals-overhaul/

UKICE Lunch Hour: Changing party politics in the UK - UK in a changing Europe Join UK in a Chaging Europe online for a discussion on political fragmentation in the UK and what it means for our politics.

📣 NEW EVENT 📣

🇬🇧 British politics has become increasingly volatile and more fragmented

To discuss the impact of the UK's changing political landscape, we're bringing together a panel of acacemics, pollsters and MPs

📆 Tues 20 Jan, 1pm GMT

Join us online 👇

ukandeu.ac.uk/events/ukice...

Labour’s asylum appeals overhaul: what the new system means in practice - UK in a changing Europe Ali Ahmadi, Catherine Barnard, Fiona Costello explain what Labour's proposed overhaul in the asylum appeals process will mean in practice.

Very thoughtful @ukandeu.bsky.social post by our Director Prof @cbarnard.bsky.social @fionacostello.bsky.social and Ali Ahmadi - 'Whether this will reduce delays and costs without increasing the risk of wrong decisions will be the central question...'

ukandeu.ac.uk/labours-asyl...

Labour’s asylum appeals overhaul: what the new system means in practice - UK in a changing Europe Ali Ahmadi, Catherine Barnard, Fiona Costello explain what Labour's proposed overhaul in the asylum appeals process will mean in practice.

"Whether this will reduce delays and costs without increasing the risk of wrong decisions will be the central question about the reforms"

✍️ @cbarnard.bsky.social, @fionacostello.bsky.social & Ali Ahmadi on Labour’s proposals to overhaul the asylum appeals system

🔗 ukandeu.ac.uk/labours-asyl...

What happens when you start with a hostile asylum system that sets people up to fail and then persistently degrade the legal aid system people depend on to accompany them through it, to put together the evidence in the framework of the law.

Reform’s appetite to put the Brexit deal back in the oven - UK in a changing Europe Catherine Barnard and Fiona Costello examine Nigel Farage's proposal to scrap welfare benefit access for EU nationals living in the UK.

Please read Prof @cbarnard.bsky.social and @fionacostello.bsky.social's excellent @ukandeu.bsky.social Blog on Reform’s appetite to put the Brexit deal back in the oven - in my view, completely for the birds as the EU would go cold turkey on the UK.

ukandeu.ac.uk/reform-and-t...

Reform’s appetite to put the Brexit deal back in the oven - UK in a changing Europe Catherine Barnard and Fiona Costello examine Nigel Farage's proposal to scrap welfare benefit access for EU nationals living in the UK.

"Considering the implications of reneging on international agreements, a more efficient way to address the numbers of those claiming benefits under the EUSS is to look at low paid or atypical work contracts."

🔗 ukandeu.ac.uk/reform-and-t...

A new blog on Reform's proposals to scrap welfare benefits for EU nationals 👇👇

Lower migration is bad news for the UK economy - UK in a changing Europe Lauren Gilbert argues that migrants to the UK are net fiscal contributors, adding much more to the economy than they take out, and that the recent collapse in immigration will harm the UK's economic p...

"Home Office data suggests that recent immigrants are more likely to be working than British nationals and make higher wages than them."

✍️ Lauren Gilbert argues that migrants to the UK are net fiscal contributors, adding much more to the economy than they take out,

ukandeu.ac.uk/lower-migrat...

More than 50 child asylum seekers still missing after disappearing from Kent care Council data obtained by the Guardian shows 345 children have gone missing in recent years, many probably taken by traffickers

Jesus Christ. We go mad about one bloke we wrongly released, yet hear next to nothing about this horror? www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

There is still time to join us next week - please register on our website - open to all. @cambridgelaw.bsky.social www.cels.law.cam.ac.uk/press/events...

The coming collapse in immigration to the United Kingdom - UK in a changing Europe James Bowes analyses the fall in net migration to the UK as a result of government policies and explores some of the political and economic consequences.

📉 "Any political benefit the government may gain from this fall in immigration could be jeopardised by the economic damage that it causes."

🖊️ @jamesbowes01.bsky.social analyses the fall in net migration to the UK and the potential political and economic consequences

ukandeu.ac.uk/the-coming-c...

New blog 👇👇

Homeward bound: Can refugees visit their home country? - UK in a changing Europe Catherine Barnard, Fiona Costello and Ali Ahmadi explain whether individuals granted refugee status in the UK can travel back to their home country

A new @ukandeu.bsky.social blog on asylum by our Director Prof @cbarnard.bsky.social, Dres @fionacostello.bsky.social and @aliahmadi.bsky.social @cambridgelaw.bsky.social

ukandeu.ac.uk/can-refugees...

Homeward bound: Can refugees visit their home country? - UK in a changing Europe Catherine Barnard, Fiona Costello and Ali Ahmadi explain whether individuals granted refugee status in the UK can travel back to their home country

"UK rules discourage or prohibit refugees from travelling back to the country they have fled, with specifics varying by status and scheme."

✍️ @cbarnard.bsky.social, @fionacostello.bsky.social & Ali Ahmadi explain whether refugees can visit their home countries

ukandeu.ac.uk/can-refugees...

Hi Bluesky. We’re Contemporary European Politics (CEP) a journal by Wiley & UACES, publishing cutting-edge research on the politics, governance & societies of Europe.

Follow us for new articles, special issues, & insights shaping Europe’s future.

#EuropeanPolitics #AcademicResearch #UACES #Wiley

UACES Virtual Conference Day is TOMORROW.
After an amazing week in Liverpool, we're continuing the research conversations online. Join us for flexible sessions across 14 panels covering everything from EU security to digital policy.
Liverpool attendees: check ConfTool for access links.
#UACES2025

'Low-Paid EU Migrant Workers: The House, The Street, The Town' Wins UACES Best Book Prize

🥳 Many congratulations to @cbarnard.bsky.social, @fionacostello.bsky.social and @sarahfraserbutlin.bsky.social - their book 'Low-Paid EU Migrant Workers: The House, The Street, The Town' won the @uaces.bsky.social Best Book Prize at the annual conference last week.

More: bit.ly/4nrPb8e

Silhouettes of three people in front of a weathered British flag, with the headline: Misrepresentations around human rights and immigration fuelling calls to quit ECHR, Oxford report finds

NEW: An Oxford report warns that misleading media coverage is shaping public debate on immigration and human rights.

The study finds the ECHR is frequently misreported in deportation cases, fueling misconceptions that erode trust in the legal system.

🧵 [1/8]

The winners of this year’s UACES Best Book Award goes to @fionacostello.bsky.social, @cbarnard.bsky.social and @sarahfraserbutlin.bsky.social for: Low Paid EU Migrant Workers: the House, the Street, the Town.

We congratulate all three authors on this significant achievement.

Asylum and refugee resettlement in the UK - Migration Observatory This briefing sets out key facts and figures, as well as information gaps, relating to migration to the UK, specifically refugees and asylum seekers. It looks at overall numbers, characteristics of as...

Asylum applications in the UK hit a record high in 2024. Our updated briefing explores application numbers, grant rates, system costs, employment outcomes for people who came to the UK to seek asylum and much more. Check it out 👉 migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/br...