Can a British citizen travel to the UK using a non-British passport? https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10344/

Congratulations to Rasheedat, a bisexual woman from Nigeria, who has just been granted #refugee status! 🌈 She can now rebuild her life, supported by our moving on team 💜 Her story was previously featured on our website - read it here: microrainbow.org/bisexual-day...

The government closed overseas recruitment of care workers. It has increased skills and salary thresholds effectively closing off overseas recruitment in most jobs. Settlement will be out of reach to many thousands by increasing the qualifying period forcing them to leave.

In the end, someone has to ask *why* people have been persuaded to be so terrified of immigration, when it has so many benefits and so few real downsides. Almost all of the claimed downsides are either lies or misinterpretations of statistics. Why would any sane country do this to itself?

I'm afraid there *is* an obvious answer: it can't.

in case you missed this piece in the pre-Festive partying, (I did) here is a very moving account of surviving (just) the crossing to Italy and all that goes before: www.opendemocracy.net/en/libya-eu-...

In an effort to prevent a small group of people with 'pre-settled status' from temporarily claiming benefits, the government is now arguing that the EUSS is not evidence of Withdrawal Agreement residence status.

Legal practitioners: Sign-up now available for free legal training seminar on 4 February on representing Albanian asylum cases, held jointly with @gardencourtlaw.bsky.social. To register: bit.ly/4qxewyV

There’s appeal across the political spectrum, and you take the fight head on with the rule breakers of the former Tory govt and the rule destroyers of the far-right. But this govt have taken cowardice over justice every time. Bankers bonuses, Israel, Trump, ECHR, winter fuel, immigration…

Searches article in vain for evidence that these people are or were “left-leaning”. Remembers that the Times is no longer a serious newspaper. Notes that Mumsnet’s Justine Roberts has “robust” views on immigration. Remembers where transphobes always end up

The MA War Studies programme at King's College London is led by someone who predicts race-based civil war driven by multiculturalism, guests on far-right podcasts, loves Orbán's Hungary, and echoes the Kremlin's talking points. And they say academia is woke...

Europe needs to get much more comfortable threatening Trump with serious deterrent measures, and if necessary implementing them. Tariffs, taxes & bans on US firms; selloffs of US Treasuries; expulsions of American troops; sanctions on individuals. Speak his language: strength.

All it takes for evil to thrive is for mediocre world leaders to say “I’d rather not say”

It's quite incredible how this poor and inaccurate tool has been prioritised and integrated *so* effectively that I regularly have people tell me something they've 'looked up' and I have to say 'you're not just reading the AI overview are you' and they are. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Now it may be cruel, but judging by the replies I do think we need to build a Great Firewall to keep the Americans out of this app.

Imagine being the person brave enough to leak this in the hopes that media attention could stop it and then the media just……buries it.

Apropos of absolutely nothing. Here's a collection of Harriet Tyce's books in a delightful little bundle. Anyway, I'm off to watch The Traitors. bertsbooks.co.uk/product/the-...

Migrants are at the heart of our art, our music, our whole history. That’s what the right won’t admit to you | Rowan Williams

Prescient thread

So is the whole world just beholden to Trump doing whatever he likes without consequence or is anyone gonna do something about it

Almost every story I read about genAI makes me want to kick out the plugs. “But it’s here to stay!” “But I’ve found this positive use for it!” Bully for you. Just turn it off until we can regulate it properly so it doesn’t give dangerous health advice, tell people to kill themselves or generate CSAM

New research in International Migration Review: US visitor visa rejection rates are more than double for applicants from Africa compared to Europe. And this disparity isn't explained by economics, demographics, or even visa overstay rates. 🧵

13. 2025 ended with tentative hopes for peace in both Ukraine and Gaza, but saw horrific suffering in both conflicts I interviewed an NHS surgeon who witnessed the aftermath of shootings of desperate Gazans trying to get food from the US-backed GHF www.nytimes.com/2025/07/09/w...

Thoughtful New Year's piece from Jason Dzubow at The Asylumist, who has spent years representing asylum seekers and observing how people endure prolonged uncertainty. Worth reading in full: www.asylumist.com/2026/01/01/t...

A reminder to always read beyond the executive summary of Home Office CPINs, co-authored by me!

I don't usually go for these but couldn't resist this one. Introduce yourself with what almost killed you. Hello! (not my pic. I probably do have one somewhere though, not of the actual *moment*, but certainly of the black eye I ended up with)

“Stakeholders” didn’t tell this govt to cut fuel payments to pensioners or oppose raising the benefit cap, nor did “stakeholders” tell this govt to use reform chasing rhetoric on immigration, nor did “stakeholders” tell Labour to reject broad based tax rises in favour of narrower measures

Probably the final one of these, been looking at the forecast for London with increasing trepidation...

I don't think Roxy is cut out for this little deception #traitors #thetraitors (using hashtags as anyone wanting to avoid spoilers will presumably have this muted!)

I feel it at least possible that the nation will not be as charmed by Hugo the barrister as he's currently imagining

This is both entirely correct and misses the point completely, which is that the 'online weirdos" are effectively writing Conservative and Reform policy & have significantly influenced the government's own worst and most xenophobic policies. Trump should have taught us not to laugh this stuff off.

Shamima Begum's lawyers bring her case (as expected) to the European Court of Human Rights, UK govt plans to defend its decisions. In UK media speak that's "Mahmood vows to fight European judges"

Set out six months ago to investigative some dubious evictions. Ended up writing a sprawling story spread over 450 years about London property deals, the ethics of money lending, Tommy Robinson, Barbary pirates, Jacobean earls, and wealth in the capital. www.londoncentric.media/p/henry-smit...

I don’t know if they’re still telling themselves that old point about their left wing voters having nowhere else to go, but demonstrably those voters are going elsewhere in big numbers, or not wanting to vote at all. If they keep going in this fashion they’ll find that out, though not soon enough.

McSweeney: "Guys! We've doubled Starmer's approval rating among Reform voters! TRUST THE PROCESS"

Because the "island of strangers" speech and his government's planned actions on indefinite leave to remain are deeply offensive to liberal Britain and will harm the economy. We have friends and colleagues who are affected. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

WTAF. Really leaning into "they're coming for your women and children". Is it too much to hope that the PM might pushback against this tide of etho nationalism before it gains even more traction?

Israel says it will suspend several humanitarian groups, including Doctors Without Borders, in 2026 for failing its new vetting rules for groups working in Gaza. Some international organizations have said that Israel’s rules are arbitrary and could endanger staff.

“Who would move to here from the US, Canada, Europe, South Korea or Australia for potentially lower wages, exorbitant visa fees and no certainty of being able to stay very long?” asks @benansell.bsky.social.

Now, just a few years later, we face a situation in which the far right lead the polls. This is really alarming for many people who have dual citizenship – and for those who don’t, but theoretically could. We need clear moral leadership from the government asserting the full rights of all citizens.

Reflections on a year of far-right mass deportation policies and the scapegoating of migrants going mainstream (Full disclosure: I am an immigrant!) www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/pol...

It's beginning to look like kafala, everywhere we go...

i don’t see how any of the benefits of chatgpt and other consumer-facing LLMs can possibly outweigh their incredible ability to induce suicides

Number 10 is the one

another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls

"He claimed they were the first attempt to measure the specific effect of artificial intelligence rather than datacentres in general as the use of chatbots such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini soared in 2025." www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

The second story in here is about a family going through the decision making process and then coming to terms with the father's decision to "self deport" to Mexico after three decades in the US. The emotions in their voices is heartbreaking.

The comments on this are all about how sweet it is and I feel insane. Using AI to make fake memories of your grandma with dementia and telling her they happened and then filming her reaction

Felt incredibly validated in my life choices earlier as my brother messaged me from the bathroom he was hiding in from our family. In Galle it is 10 degrees cooler than Perth, 26 hotter than London. Gorgeous, peaceful day.

Interrupting my hateposting for a moment to plug my starter of verified news outlets that avoid Generative AI! bsky.app/profile/alex...