Wrote about what its like to be surrounded by people not having a crisis of confidence in progressive ideas for a weekend. We need more imagination and more confidence in our values to shape the future - and that's especially true on migration.

Are we facing a migration crisis, or a crisis in progressive imagination? 👉 New blog from @bethgardiner-smith.bsky.social arguing that progressives must not only be confident in defending liberal values (including asylum) but also ambitious in acting on those values to shape the future

Govt's proposal to reform settlement policy (incl requiring care workers to wait 15yrs before they can settle) will not save £10bn, as they previously suggested @jdportes.bsky.social new analysis of govt's own (prev unreleased) data suggests actual saving would be £600m - a substantial difference 👇

Too often now the debate about human rights protections has been dominated by accusations of overreach or abuse of these safeguards & protections But what about when these rights are absent? This week, there’s been an important step forward as the govt closes a gap in human rights protection 👏 🧵

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Important point of clarification 👇 There was already a proposed carve out for many public sector workers in the original proposal, so to offer this group an accelerated route would not be a concession. Care workers & others would still face 15yr route, refugees 20yrs etc

With the Home Sec announcing a new community sponsorship scheme, Hannah shares what's 'new' in what the Home Sec has promised and what the opportunity is - from govt devolving power & working in partnership with communities to building public consent Read more 👇

💥 Today @futuregovforum.bsky.social launches our new three-year strategy 💥 Our work on asylum & migration will continue - exploring how we can deliver a more effective approach to asylum & migration that sustains greater public confidence and remains consistent with int. law & progressive values 👇

*Job opportunity* We're looking for someone to lead our strategic legal work, using legal cases to benefit families and children in poverty. Please share with anyone who might be interested: cpag.org.uk/jobs/current...

A few thoughts on earned settlement after a busy week. (1) Govt is going through consultation after over 200,000 people responded, far higher than other consultations of this type. This means there is still a lot up for grabs to shape the policy, including transitional measures.

The latest Parliament Matters podcast includes a look at how changes to immigration are, or rather, aren’t, scrutinised by parliament. It’s probably not a surprise that I really enjoyed being able to join the conversation.

On earned settlement reforms, some suggestion in press reports that govt could be looking to 'ease impact' of policy changes But there seems to be some confusion in the current debate about what exactly has been proposed Quick check 🧵

And good point from @josephinewy.bsky.social that these estimates are likely conservative as analysis looked only at children with parents on work visas - true impact could be higher bsky.app/profile/jose...

Govt's plans to double (or more) the length of time it takes for migrants to qualify for settlement in the UK risks exacerbating child poverty, according to new analysis by @ippr.org Poverty will be prolonged for 60,000-90,000 children of foreign workers by 2029 www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

Fantastic news 👏👏👏

Terrific piece here by my @futuregovforum.bsky.social colleague @emilyagraham.bsky.social as the Home Secretary announces a(nother) tough line on asylum. Emily points out why this is a gamble; and that there are progressive alternatives available... futuregovforum.substack.com/p/the-home-s...

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...

In the Home Sec's speech at @ippr.org today, she reiterated her aim of shifting away from asylum, and to safe & legal routes. This is a paradigm shift. So what's at stake? substack.com/home/post/p-...

Why the Home Secretary is taking a gamble with her asylum reforms, and what a progressive alternative should look like New blog at @futuregovforum.bsky.social ⬇️

This piece on human impact of the ILR reforms also exposes tension in current debate Viewing settlement primarily as border policy (who's allowed in) overlooks the fact it's really about who's here & allowed to stay, with implications for integration & cohesion www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

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Home Secretary's statement on asylum changes now published ⬇️ No details on the work/study route yet - these will be expected in future Immigration Rule changes

Shabana Mahmood says, "“Denmark shows us how to be firm but fair". But what are the right lessons for the UK to draw from Denmark? Ahead of the asylum announcement next week, let's see what the Danish example & evidence shows 🧵

Quick fact check ahead of asylum announcement tomorrow, as press reports Home Secretary is set to "scrap permanent refugee status" & push ahead with 'earned settlement' reforms 🧵 www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

Quick fact check ahead of asylum announcement tomorrow, as press reports Home Secretary is set to "scrap permanent refugee status" & push ahead with 'earned settlement' reforms 🧵 www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

Shabana Mahmood says, "“Denmark shows us how to be firm but fair". But what are the right lessons for the UK to draw from Denmark? Ahead of the asylum announcement next week, let's see what the Danish example & evidence shows 🧵

It's unsurprising that pathways are being deployed as part of wider cooperation, so bigger question for me is whether these pathways are doing the 'heavy lifting', how they can better target 'migrant demand' & serve humanitarian purposes New report on whether EU's migration policy is working 👇

Interesting analysis by @jamesbowes01.bsky.social on govt's 'earned settlement' proposal, particularly the interaction with visa policy & upcoming changes James is right to point out the risks this creates particularly for those working for exploitative employers 👇

We are recruiting Trustees to join our board and support us in our work to promote the welfare and rights of people in immigration detention! Application deadline: 12th March 2026 You may find more information on our website: detentionaction.org.uk/become-a-tru...

Worth remembering that the settlement changes can all be made in the immigration rules - so not even an automatic debate and no real power for parliamentarians to stop them. Huge changes to people's live, with very little automatic parliamentary scrutiny.

Two-thirds said they felt less welcome in the UK as a result of govt's 'earned settlement' plans, according to @praxisprojects.bsky.social's new research Settlement policy is - or should be - fundamentally about integration, but longer routes undermine this aim www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Read the full analysis here: www.ippr.org/articles/far...

New @ippr.org analysis today finds that around 1.35m already on routes to settlement will face a longer default waiting period before they can apply for permanent residence under Home Office plans. Just over 300,000 are children, mostly dependants of workers.

Good to see Olivia Blake MP quoting this analysis - and she's right that "these proposals will not affect everyone equally" but will hit some much harder The govt has not yet published any assessment of the impact of these proposals, ie economic or equalities www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

New analysis from @ippr.org shows the impact of the government's proposed 'earned settlement' policy on children 300,000+ children will face waits of 10yrs+ to get settled status, increasing risk of child poverty and trapping families in insecurity 👇

Great to join @sundersays.bsky.social & @churchillfship.bsky.social Fellows earlier this week - appreciated the opportunity to take a step back & reflect on the migration debate today, and how we can influence policy and practice. Thanks for having me!

It's weird how after every good thing/gain (even if we don't call it a victory) people circle up to insist we shouldn't celebrate. Celebrating is not how people give up, in my experience; believing we can't win, never win, and have no power is (with a side of joylessness).

📢 We're looking for a Policy Officer to join our team. You’ll lead on specific advocacy priorities and respond to changes in laws, policies, and practices that affect refugees, people seeking asylum, and other displaced groups in Scotland. 👉Interested? Find out more here: scottishrefugeecounc...

Interesting Public Accounts Committee session coming up next Monday with senior officials from the Home Office, MoJ and MHCLG on the NAO report on the state of the asylum system committees.parliament.uk/event/25595/...

New year, new job?

New research by @mixedmigration.org into smuggling is important reading for us in the UK As govt looks to 'break business model' of smugglers, they must look at the evidence & what works 🧵

Public knowledge of irregular migration is "partial, uneven & often distorted" but fascinating to see how attitudes "combine suspicion with pragmatism & show openness to social markers of belonging", eg English language or friends/family in UK V useful insights, esp considering heat of debate now👇

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We are looking for a new COMMUNICATIONS CO-ORDINATOR and a new RESEARCHER If you'd like to join the FGF team as we crank up our work on reforming and rebuilding the state, have a look below and drop us a line www.futuregovernanceforum.co.uk/vacancies/

Looking forward to the webinar for this next Tues (see below to sign up) This new research from @mixedmigration.org is especially timely for us in the UK, following on from the govt's recent Asylum Statement

🚨 WE'RE HIRING! Come and join the UK's most influential think tank. We are recruiting for an economist to join our international policy team. Find out more here 👇 www.ippr.org/jobs/economi...

An important intervention in recent debate following the (welcome!) news that the govt are lifting two-child limit Headline figures show quick snapshot, not the full picture - I've seen this time & again in my experience of deliberative democracy projects & thought this to be a much-needed reminder

‘This is a transformative victory for children’ labourlist.org/2025/11/scra...

New Home Office stats out today show use of asylum hotels increased 13% compared to June '25 While this is lower than prev. peak in Sept '23, it's clear we have a way to go to end use of hotel for asylum accommodation Here's how we suggest govt exits asylum hotels in next yr (& saves up to £5bn) ⏬

Hot of the press - new report from @futuregovforum.bsky.social on how govt can exit asylum hotels within 1yr while: 💰 saving up to £5bn 📝 cutting the asylum backlog 🫶 investing in communities 🏡 boosting temporary accommodation Might sound too good to be true, but it's not. Read our 3-step plan 👇