This is a very good, measured piece on why and immigration "liberals" often (but shouldn't) exaggerate/overegg the evidence on the positive impacts of immigration. (ignore the title) alexanderkustov.substack.com/p/the-uncomf...

Great news that arts venues, museums, libraries and heritage buildings are set to be boosted by major new funding from the government. Organisations mentioned - from Natural History Museum to the BFI - are cultural powerhouses. It’s vital they’re supported and protected.

Are you interested in how capable AI is of influencing people & the consequences for society? There’s less than 2 weeks to go until our webinar💻 with Prof Chris Summerfield, @summerfieldlab.bsky.social, @ox.ac.uk, exploring just that. Register now➡️ acss.civiplus.net/civicrm/even...

A fantastic #Tooting success story! Congratulations to the family-run Lahore Karahi who, 30 years on from first opening its doors on Tooting High Street, are now franchising their restaurant and brand around the country (info in images)! We wish Numan and the team the very best of luck!

We’re on track to roll out 4G across the Underground by the end of the year. That means more opportunities to stream, message and stay connected when you’re travelling across the city.

Between 2018 and 2024 Iranians made up the largest proportion of small boat crossings - over 25,000 people fleeing the current regime migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/br...

The number of homicides of young people in London continues to fall. When I set up the Violence Reduction Unit in 2019, the capital’s homicide rate of under-25s was three times higher than it is today.

I wonder what Londoners know that the rest of the country don’t?

No, private schools aren’t victims of ‘reverse discrimination’ – and Cambridge should know better | Lee Elliot Major

Entirely predictable/predicted: I wrote this almost two years ago "If this government – or the next – does indeed succeed in reducing migration very substantially below projected levels, it will have a large fiscal cost, with consequent impacts for tax and spending." ukandeu.ac.uk/has-higher-i...

On @lbc.co.uk earlier to discuss the recent news that a Cambridge college is doing outreach to private schools to improve the "quality" of students. I think it's an outdated understanding of student ability (not supported by evidence) and a waste of resource they should spent on access efforts.

We've just shared a powerful new story on our website about the transformative impact of Community Sponsorship—both for the families being welcomed and the communities opening their doors. Check it out now! https://bit.ly/3NdzIvx

Commons women and equalities committee to stop using X amid AI-altered images row www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

‘It takes a town to raise a family’: the community sponsors supporting refugees in the UK

This was always going to happen Reform promised to cut wasteful spending but never had any proper plan for how to do so. Instead, it was all populist nonsense about "DEI" programmes and lazy council staff www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

A reminder for anyone new to Bluesky (or who just wants to follow more policy wonks here) that I've made a starter pack of all the think tanks I've spotted on the platform and the researchers working at them (if you're missing and want adding in let me know!) - go.bsky.app/Geu9Jd8

For a decade social media was our columnist’s best mate and confidant. Now, like millions of us, he’s switching off. What changed?

When racists shout ‘Go home’, and you come from 15 places, what to do? | Hugh Muir

New YouGov research for ippr finds that civic conceptions of being British are held by most people, with a third prioritising birthplace. Reform voters are outliers, against the general public view, weighting ancestry and ethnicity more highly www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

The hill I will die on: Pigeons are working-class heroes and deserve some respect | Toussaint Douglass

Painter Emma Haworth's painting depicting a day in winter #WomensArt

London looking spectacular from above 🚁

Good optimistic piece from @gabyhinsliff.bsky.social ‘Labour is finally getting the message that endlessly aping Reform is not the answer to its prayers’ (and helped by exposure of Reform’s incompetence in local councils) 🤞🏼

EU welcomes UK’s decision to rejoin Erasmus as ‘big step forward’ - Europe live

Excellent post on migration to the UK. 'None of this is an argument for unlimited net migration. (...) But very low or negative net migration is definitely not desirable from either an economic or social perspective. Successful countries don’t tend to have falling populations.'

On "we have become the destination of choice in Europe, clearly visible to every people smuggler and would-be illegal migrant across the world" "we concluded that the statement made by the Home Secretary was presented as an assertion, and not a statistical finding" - UK statistics regulator

Welcome to Britain, a country so short of dentists that an MP's 87-year-old mum pulled her teeth out with pliers. Also a country with thousands of foreign-qualified dentists who can’t work until they pass an exam so oversubscribed it’s like trying to book Glasto tickets. www.ft.com/content/f4e5...

"If growth was actually your priority, you would not be doing this." (Me, stating the obvious) www.ft.com/content/2b60...

Unsurprising mask-off racism from Nick Timothy here. Upset at the abolition of the two-child limit - because some of (British) kids who will benefit have (British) parents who are the wrong colour (were born in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Somalia, etc). archive.ph/rycVD

"By extending the period of settlement, the govt. will probably save money on the welfare bill and avoid workers quitting social care, but at the cost of changing rules mid-stream." ✍️ Alan Manning on the proposals to change the rules for migrants settling in the UK ukandeu.ac.uk/care-workers...

We’re delighted that our @jakepuddle.bsky.social & @heather-rolfe.bsky.social, together with @jillyrutter.bsky.social of Belong, won the MRS Presidents Medal last night at the Market Research Society & Research Live Awards 2025, for the ‘The State of Us’ report. www.mrs.org.uk/awards/mrs-a...

Delighted to have received the MRS President’s Medal for our State of Us report on community cohesion and the impacts of the riots. It’s been a pleasure & a privilege to have worked together with @heather-rolfe.bsky.social @jillyrutter.bsky.social & our friends at @belongnetwork.bsky.social on this

Pleased to announce Ayesha Saran as new Director of Progs & Learning. Ayesha has been Head of Migration here for several yrs, establishing migration prog as an integral contributor + actor in migration sector, championing progressive narratives + strategic comms approaches in UK and Europe.

It is not too late to put the brakes on assisted dying, and focus on what is really needed | Gordon Brown

🖊️ Heather Rolfe argues there are two key risks of Labour's plan to tighten rules on Indefinite Leave to Remain: 1️⃣ Loss of voters 2️⃣ Potential harm to provision of key services and to economic growth https://ukandeu.ac.uk/labour-risks-leaving-its-voters-behind-over-settlement-proposals/

Immigration policy is hard, involving difficult decisions and trade-offs. But, as Alan Manning makes clear, this doesn't mean that we can't do better. 'Why Immigration Policy Is Hard' is an indispensable resource for informed debate on one of the most charged subjects in public life.

Net migration to Britain has fallen by almost 80% from its 2023 peak, according to data released on Thursday.

Dismal framing. Every aspect of most asylum seekers’ lives is controlled & paid for by the Home Office. They can’t work, are told where to live & have no autonomy or dignity. So they aren’t *choosing* to use taxis & don’t need to be “banned” from doing so. The HO just needs to get its act in order.

Every child should get a good start in life, and universal credit should be there for people when they fall on hard times. Removing the 2 child limited will lift 450,000 children out of poverty, and lessen its severity for many more.

🎵 If you're interested, all the songs this week came from a mammoth playlist I put together earlier this year of songs about and inspired by London 🎵 Over 18 hours for your listening pleasure. open.spotify.com/playlist/6sZ...

Huge congratulations to our brilliant producer @natalie-steed.bsky.social who’s been Gold-awarded at the #apas for her work on The Cockney Yiddish Podcast @qmulhss.bsky.social @engageqm.bsky.social @michaelrosenyes.bsky.social @migrationmuseum.org @drmatthewsweet.bsky.social @rshc.bsky.social

PM describes net migration of 205k as "a step in the right direction". His govt has no public position on a sustainable level of immigration is, nor any known process to decide what, why & how. Starmer is now implying he wants it significantly lower www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...

📖Book launch next week📖 In his latest book, @alanmanning4.bsky.social makes the case that while immigration policy will never satisfy everyone, that doesn’t mean it can’t be done much better. Join Alan, @ruthcurtice.bsky.social and @stephenkb.bsky.social to discuss. Register➡️ buff.ly/0jtepcy

So we are already back to the levels of migration of the early 2010s and declining faster... let's hope all those new restrictions, based on previous higher numbers, don't make Britain massively unattractive to those migrants the government DOES wish to attract.

Labour's proposed extension of the waiting time for Indefinite Leave to Remain may not go down well with their voters, writes @heather-rolfe.bsky.social ukandeu.ac.uk/labour-risks...

"When it comes to Labour supporters, the five-year route is more popular than its proposal for a ten-year wait" 👀 With lots of eyes on the govt.'s immigration stats, @heather-rolfe.bsky.social aruges Labour risks leaving its voters behind with its settlement proposals ukandeu.ac.uk/labour-risks...

UK net migration predicted to drop to pre-Brexit levels, figures show

PUBLISHED TODAY: ‘Noise & Nuance: What the public really thinks about immigration’ – new findings from the British Future/Ipsos Immigration Attitudes Tracker, which has studied public opinion on immigration and asylum since 2015 [🧵]

THURSDAY WEBINAR: 'New Net Migration Figures - What Next for Policy and Politics?' Our expert panel discusses the new ONS net migration figures (published 9.30am Thurs 27th) and findings from the new British Future/Ipsos Immigration Attitudes Tracker (also 27th) www.eventbrite.com/e/new-net-mi...