The Conservative Party chair is saying the 60,000 people in hotels would have been deported to Rwanda. The capacity of the scheme was 300 in year one

From the LibDem fringe on immigration

No 10 trails Starmer speech against populism. It will be at the Global Progress Action Summit in London, which takes place Thursday & Friday www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

It would just wrong, indecent + unBritish to break promises made to people about their permanent right to feel at home. Govts could change future rules for the newest arrivals. Its just not fair to threaten families that they could now be deported just because a new govt has no sense of what's fair

Farage's new policy is to threaten to deport up to 2 million people 600,000 people without secure legal status (26th August) though had said this was unrealistic last year 430,000 people where he would cancel their permanent residence + 800,000 people who arrived 2021-24 (22nd September)

Jack Elsom, political editor, the Sun "There is a question of morality, if people have been told they have permanent status already, that is different to doing it prospectively" If you do it retrospectively, a lot of people, including conservative commentators are saying that is wrong"

Farage of Reform roundly condemned for threatening to deport many people who have the right to live permanently in the UK, by saying he would abolish their status retrospectively www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

"Starmer is preparing to make a major speech pledging to take the fight to Farage and proposing that the UK will reject division and hate fuelled by the far right. His intervention will come before the Labour conference this weekend" www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

About to talk immigration in Bournemouth for the second time today

There should be a high bar for politicians attacking the media, but maybe Ed Davey has half a point here? For example, the first three paragraphs of this BBC story repeat Reform's £243bn figure without saying that the thinktank behind the estimate now disowns it. (This is mentioned in paragraph 35)

History curious? You don't need to be in London (or the UK) to attend many Institute of Historical Research seminars, although if you're in Bloomsbury you'll enjoy doing so. Most are hybrid (online/in person). They're free, usually fortnightly and open to the public. Starting this week:

NEW: FGF's @bethgardiner-smith.bsky.social & @emilyagraham.bsky.social argue the UK must lead international efforts to renew refugee protection In an essay published today, they propose three reforms, including #asylum processing along migration routes ⏬ futuregovforum.substack.com/p/the-refuge...

Worth remembering many people will be unfamiliar with terms like "indefinite leave to remain" and "settlement". People know what immigration is + citizenship, but settlement is less intuitive So its important for those countering the proposals to put in schoolgate language what is being proposed

When the government is using *three* adjectives, it is a considerably weakness to have all three of them - "unrealistic, unworkable and unfunded" - being about how, rather than why. At least one or two of the three words should be fron the family of "unprincipled" or "extreme"

If you’re at @libdems.org.uk conference tonight, come to 'How can liberals win the argument on immigration?' (Marriott, Monday 7.45pm) With @lisasmartmp.bsky.social @markpackuk.bsky.social @sundersays.bsky.social + US migration expert Frank Sharry. www.britishfuture.org/event/britis... #LDConf

And it will definitely not be popular among the subset of voters who are likely to ever consider voting Labour. Unlike the Tories, Labour doesn't have to win over the minority with *extremely* hard-line views, just those who want a system that feels fairer and under control.

Mr Musk would have a hell of a job bringing a legal challenge against comments about what his platform amplifies and promotes in our country being dangerous and unlawful, and a likely breach of its legal responsibilities. You could read out the X posts the platform defends for hours to the witness

This should be an opportunity for the other parties - Reform's proposal is extreme, violates basic fairness norms, and would threaten millions of people who have made their lives here and played by the rules. This approach should be condemned as nasty, unworkable and contrary to British fair play.

Reform will try to wave all of this away, and claim this is a way to be "tough" on illegals and/or those who aren't contributing. But it is not. Most migrants (asylum seekers excepted) cannot obtain ILR without working and paying taxes for many years, during which time they cannot claim welfare.

That includes a large majority of those who have a negative view of immigration overall. Taking rights away from those who have already acquired them (often at great expense) through this route will likely be even less popular, as it violates basic fairness norms.

I'll have more to say on Reform's proposals to scrap ILR at some point but for now I'll just note this - anyone telling you this is a popular idea doesn't know the polling. Overwhelming majority of public back giving people who work and pay taxes most or all rights after 5 years or less

My comments @britishfuture.bsky.social on proposals to revoke settlement and abolish indefinite leave to remain from Nigel Farage's Reform Party this morning www.britishfuture.org/reform-attac...

“Threatening to revoke the settled status of millions who already have indefinite leave is morally wrong, beyond the legal chaos it would cause — it undermines the very idea of belonging in this country." @sundersays.bsky.social on new Reform UK proposals www.britishfuture.org/reform-attac...

British Future Director @sundersays.bsky.social is speaking alongside Lisa Smart MP and Tim Farron MP today (Mon 22nd) 13:00 at the Safe Routes Coalition event ‘Safe routes at risk: defending compassion for refugees’. Bournemouth International Centre, Meyrick Suite.

Sam is right to say that the correct argument is that a Reform government CAN & probably would attempt things that are ethically reprehensible + currently unlawful + broadly unpopular if they commit to using majority power in the UK political system to repeal all judicial limits on govt + parliament

The fact they don't have detailed plans. The fact it's ethically repugnant. The fact that it would be an economic disaster. All of these things are what chaotic authoritarianism looks like. As we're seeing in the US.

To remove indefinite leave to remain from people who already have it they'd have to dismantle our entire system of rights legislation and probably end judicial independence. But they could do that with a majority. They've said they'd do that.

Reform's plans to end indefinite leave to remain go to the post I wrote last week on their slide towards chaotic authoritarianism. The British constitution would allow them to do it if they had a majority but at vast cost to our society and way of life. samf.substack.com/p/the-route-...

“Bringing Britain into line with other countries such as the United Arab Emirates” is not a sentence I want to see.

Bringing us into line with the UAE here is not, let’s be clear, a desirable goal for anyone

Have Reform been asked if forcing all foreign nationals with settled status to apply for a new temporary status really does mean renewing on & tearing up the UK/EU citizens agreements after Brexit? I would exoect/hope they would quickly exempt EU settled status from this

Trump, speaking about Charlie Kirk, admits he hates a good portion of Americans aka those against him: “He did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them. That's where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent and I don't want the best for them. I'm sorry.”

Reform's ban on dual citizenship is going to require a rapid u-turn over Ireland. It would be pretty mad to apply it to call existing dual nationals, but maybe they will fancy & welcome the row in the cases beyond Ireland, like Israel, USA, Canada, Australia,Nigeria, India, and Pakistan

Farage made a pledge to remove 600,000 people without legal status [having said a year ago he wouldn't pledge that because he knows it is impossible] Elon Musk and Rupert Lowe said that was too weak & they wanted "proper deportations" and Farage has shifted further now

Times says Reform policy to make all of those with settled status apply instead for a new temporary status In case of EU settled status, that is a massive breach of the spirit and letter of Farage's past pledges pre & after 2016. A rapid u-turn is necessary www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

Got sucked into the side of TikTok commenting on the trend in American evangelicalism right now—where there’s a growing belief that that the rapture will happen this Tuesday—September 23rd This is due to a of set of things happening in Israel interpreted through a tangled "Left Behind" theology+

Trump criticizes Pam Bondi for not charging his adversaries quickly enough, in a Truth Social post that looks a lot like a DM. truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT...

If he puts the “vile lies of Musk” bit up, odds on the official account being suspended?

Still, quite funny that they still stick out the official government videos on X, meaning that site gets the credit on major news homepages.

The most useful UK intervention is to Make X Lawful Again on all fronts. Both Ofcom (illegal content) and the EHRC (the platform's proactive defence of unlawful abuse & harassment - racism & rape threats - in breach of Equality Act duties) need to intervene on their core responsibilities

James flags up Lizzi Collinge MP (Morecambe and Lunesdale) sharing a video of her Westminster Hall speech in early September on what the Battle of Britain meant @lizzicollinge.bsky.social takes.jamesomalley.co.uk/p/this-is-en...

"Today, in 2025, the norm has broken down. Too many thugs and racists feel as though they have been granted permission to behave terribly" - James O'Malley's blog

Starmer absolutely deserved criticism for not speaking up clearly and decisively last week But he also deserves credit for these articles and words now. Keep these messages up More press coverage in Sunder’s thread

PM Keir Starmer's commentary on patriotism vs racism and populism can be read here www.thesun.co.uk/news/3678572...

Church and Christian figures respond to Tommy Robinson rally. "Any co-opting or corrupting of the Christian faith to exclude others is unacceptable.” www.thetimes.com/uk/religion/...

Starmer on 'vile lies' of Musk et al: “When populist politicians, convicted criminals + foreign billionaires take to the stage to encourage violence, make racist comments, and threaten our democracy, it casts a dark shadow of fear and violence across our society” www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...

Former LibDem leader Tim Farron says "let us reclaim our flags for those who would reunite and rebuild, not divide and destroy, because we will not yield our identity, our flag, or our country, to the nationalists" to the LibDem conference www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This is a snapshot of the sociology of EDL supporters & sympathisers over a decade ago.

In Bournemouth on Monday night at LibDem conference fringe. Can liberals win the argument on immigration? 745pm onwards Also speaking earlier at 1pm Monday at a Safe Routes Coalition fringe. "Safe routes at risk: defending compassion for refugees" Bournemouth International Centre, Meyrick Suite

Frank Sharry makes the case for control + compassion as a way to stop the boats & uphold refugee protection, in a discusssion on the PM programme with Evan Davis, alongside Rakib Ehsan (discussion at 32 minutes into the programme) www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...