I’m a British MP, a doctor and Jewish. This is what happened when I tried to pass through Israel, on my way to the West Bank.. As parliamentarians, we have a responsibility to be as informed as possible. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The BBC World Service is a vital asset in a volatile world, projecting UK soft power and combating disinformation as hostile states escalate the information war. I brought cross-party figures together to discuss the World Service ahead of my Parliamentary debate this Thursday.

#Farage should listen to today's Desert Island Discs. @alfdubs.bsky.social speaking with warmth, wisdom, humour and compassion about refugees and #Europe and the grave dangers of populist right-wing politics. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

#GaryLineker has always been kind and generous in his support for refugees. Here he is with the legendary @alfdubs.bsky.social at a refugee football match, and with the players, (including the first "Dubs child" to come to the UK). He lives the phrase #Refugeesarewelcome

#Shaminabegum made grave mistakes. But she's our responsibility and no one else's. Stripping her UK citizenship, and that of others abandoned in #Syria, is an abdication of responsibility. #jacobreesmogg and I, in the @financialtimes.com today @tonyvaughanmp.bsky.social @reprievehq.bsky.social

My (British) niece is spending her 2nd uni year studying in the US. Ahead of applying for her student visa she was discreetly advised to remove any social media posts mentioning Gaza, or anything that could be interpreted as any kind of criticism of the US administration. Sounds a bit North Korea-y

Britain, a trading nation, now has a vital choice to make about its priority trading partners: - the EU, where agreements are made, kept, reciprocal, based on international norms, & enforced by a court - the USA, where agreements are made, broken, changed & broken again at a whim, with no recourse

Well. This didn't age well.

Which continent does @bbcnews.bsky.social think we live on?? 🙄

24photography opened its latest exhibition today in Soho Square. 24 great images from 24 artists from St Martins (including me!) celebrating the 24 hours of New Year's Day. We've been going for 22 years. Only 2 more to go! The exhibition is free. And the crocuses are out. www.24photography.org

The latest exhibition of brilliant work from the artists at 24photography opens on Saturday in Soho Square. We've been capturing New Year's Day for 22 years. Only 2 years to go. It's free and there will be cake.

"My fear is that affording protections and safety to refugees is, tragically, becoming as unpopular today as offering protection to many of Europe's Jews was in 1938" @alfdubs.bsky.social's defence of the #Refugeeconvention in today's FT. www.ft.com/content/78e1...

If there was still any lingering doubts about the new regime in Washington backing the far-right in Europe, Vance has now dispelled it. Invoking free speech & democracy, he backs those who want to destroy them both www.politico.eu/article/us-v...

But Labour backlash continues. Lord Dubs says the move is "small-minded" and "belittles our own status as a country". Stella Creasy says it will leave refugees paying taxes with no representation, as they will be barred from voting.

Ahead of 2nd reading of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill next Monday 10th February, MPs and Peers from the APPG recommend improvements to safe and legal routes be included in the legislation: www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/latest/news/...

Targeting smuggling gangs alone won't reduce deaths in the Channel. www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

Stella Tsantekidou, "Brexiters saying how Brexit has been going for the last five years" "Reminds me of being at uni and listening to communists say how communism has never been tried before, we just need one more opportunity, we didn't have the right leaders, we didn't go further enough"

5 years on from #Brexit... EU citizens can spend 6 months in the UK in one stretch. UK citizens can only spend 3 months in the EU. Surely this anomaly needs resolving...

@alfdubs.bsky.social lost many friends and family in the #Holocaust. Fortunately for the UK, and for Alf, the UK offered him sanctuary. On #holocaustmemorialday I think of the children like Alf who did not survive and the refugees of today who find the doors to sanctuary closed.

We never imagined that 80 years after the liberation of #Auschwitz we would see such appalling levels of antisemitism and Islamophobia, and a resurgence of the far right, in Europe. #HolocaustMemorialDay

The UN's Refugee Convention was a response to the horrors of the #Holocaust and to the mass deplacement of people following WW2. The Trump administration has chosen #holocaustmemorialday to launch its policy of stopping all refugees from entering the USA to seek safety from the conflicts of today.

Only love can conquer hate #refugeeswelcone

Question on which I've seen virtually no reporting - what does Morgan McSweeney think of the EU? Gut feel, not a big fan of doing much on the subject.

Law and order?

Excellent read.

Given the general public's notoriously short political memory, I applaud Liz's civic duty as a (former) public servant in nudging our memories.... www.bbc.com/news/article...

If a company's balance sheet resembled this their shareholders would have something to say. Only 6 in 10 do. What on earth do the other 4 think is going well??

@jessphillipsmp.bsky.social has spent her career protecting vulnerable women and children. Anyone who tries to suggest otherwise is either speaking from a position of ignorance or one of hate. Or both.

At least 270 people have died in UK awaiting asylum application decisions since 2015’. And more people killed at our border this year than the previous four combined. Hostile border policies killing people refused safe routes. news.sky.com/story/at-lea...

I have been privileged to work alongside brilliant emigree and refugee surgeons from Syria. It is vital that their homeland has the best chance of becoming an open society, and the second functional democracy in the Middle East.

www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/... 📻 #BBCWorldService to provide people of #Syria with enhanced services Broadcast on medium wave and FM, an enhanced audio service will provide a trusted source of #independent #news when audiences need it the most Read more 👇🏻

Let’s get his older brother to an @arsenalfc.bsky.social game please. It will help him with his grief 🙏

Thanks to @mrjamesob.bsky.social for having me on @lbc.co.uk to talk about lack of safe routes for refugees & story of little Wissam, who died after crossing the Channel. Considered, human conversation about channel crossings is rare on our airwaves. Thank you. www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

Last Nov @roswynnejones.bsky.social & @alfdubs.bsky.social met little Wissam playing in a rubbish dump on the Calais coast. Sadly Wissam died last month after making a treacherous journey from Calais across the Channel in the hope of lifesaving treatment for a rare disease.

catch @realbritainros 02.36 on today's episode. www.globalplayer.com/catchup/lbc/...

. @roswynnejones.bsky.social was on the @mrjamesob.bsky.social show today talking about the lack of safe routes for refugees. It comes after we told the story of little Wissam, who died after crossing the Channel. To help support Wissam’s family go to gofundme.com/f/help-child...

Last week @roswynnejones.bsky.social & @candidaj.bsky.social visited Wissam's parents Wadie & Amal at a holding centre for asylum seekers in ­Hertfordshire. Grief was etched all over their pale faces. Read more here. #RealBritain www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

The gofundme link is at the bottom of the article. www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

This is unbearable.

Another beautiful mayoral carol service at #Southwark cathedral. We made an important pledge: "as Londoners to ensure this great city continues to be a place of welcome...for all". Thank you @sadiqkhanlondon.bsky.social and happy pearl wedding anniversary @london.gov.uk

Thank you to all those who tried to help Wissam. Especially @alfdubs.bsky.social, @candidaj.bsky.social, the incredible teams at Guy's Hospital and Great Ormond Street who tried to save him. And to David Taylor MP whose wonderful team are helping support the family.

Curious as to which of these sectors the anti-immigration lobby would like to see shrink... www.ft.com/content/ca44...

Details of the fundraiser we've set up to help the family with essentials, like nappies, food and clothing, are in the article

It's complex, but essentially, it is true: Restrictive immigration policies reduce the possibility of circular migration, which is much more common in non-restricted scenarios. This can mean restricting migrants' rights forces them to stay put, raising numbers over all. #PMQs

Starmer makes a point often missed about ending freedom of movement. Migration figures were lower when we were in the EU. Because Europeans could live, work, study in the UK for as long as they wanted - and then leave. Now, migrants are more likely to move permanently. #PMQs

Some have fewer #HumanRights - like the right to a fair trial - than others. Our allies, including the US, have all repatriated their citizens from camps in NE Syria and tried them at home. #Shamimabegum should be able to stand trial here. #HumanRightsDay2024

Every sad little jerk that says we shouldn’t take refugees because we are full, they want to scrounge, they don’t want to go home etc etc should read this and feel shame. Because for most people, there’s no place like home ❤️.

🧵 A reminder of what many refugees really want - when they feel they have a choice. #Syria #Assad