I had not got the impression when the Border Security Act was being debated that the new criminal offence of "endangering another during sea crossing" would be used against people who piloted a small boat, without more, but that appears to be happening www.cps.gov.uk/national-new...

Striking decision given the recent Court of Appeal judgment in another Gaza case emphasising the importance of immigration control. The tribunal's judgment is here: tribunalsdecisions.service.gov.uk/utiac/ui-202...

"We see military bases as the future for asylum accommodation"

Another wrinkle that Hallett mentions in passing that is quite important to understanding the £10bn PPE story. It's often argued that £billions was wasted because the NHS ordered faulty PPE that couldn't be used...

In 2025, just over 100,000 people claimed asylum in the UK. Our updated briefing explains who claims asylum, how these people come to the UK, whether their claims are successful, and much more. migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/br...

Hleb Buziuk: Independent by Assertion: The Immigration and Asylum Bill and the Re-Departmentalisation of Adjudication ukconstitutionallaw.org/2026/07/13/h...

Q: How much money will be raised from charging refugees for their asylum accommodation and how will it work in practice? A: Details "have not yet been finalised" so "it would be premature to provide an estimate of future revenue. The Government will set out further information in due course".

Quite a lot of House of Commons business now lined up for this afternoon, so the Immigration and Asylum Bill won't be debated until well into the evening.

Ahead of the second reading of the Immigration and Asylum Bill on Monday, here’s @refugeecouncil.bsky.social’s briefing. We particularly focused on the refugee tax, including what the Home Office describe as the safeguard against making people destitute www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/stay-informe...

"The home secretary is expected to set out on Monday how she plans to amend the 1971 Immigration Act." — BBC Politics

Interesting @joshuarozenberg.bsky.social point about replacing immigration judges with adjudicators, who would not need legal expertise: people who would otherwise become magistrates in the criminal courts might become immigration adjudicators instead rozenberg.substack.com/p/fining-mig...

Immigration minister: "this case clearly has legislative hurdles. All options are on the table, and I ask [MPs] to give us a little bit of time to consider them and to come forward with plans" hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2026...

As part of a package of reforms to the UK’s asylum system, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced a community sponsorship route for refugees to come to the UK. Writing for The Conversation, @jacquibroadhead.bsky.social reflects on the new scheme. 🔗 theconversation.com/community-re...

The councils ready to buy hundreds of new-build homes for asylum seekers trib.al/YxsHlnv

“Sellner has come to Ireland to come as close as he can to the United Kingdom border after being banned from travelling to the [UK]“ www.crimeworld.com/ireland/aust...

This is also the “loophole” for which many of the Windrush generation qualify, which may complicate things slightly

€300 euro for a visa extension - half nothing compared to fees in the UK www.dublininquirer.com/amid-delays-...

New: What’s in the Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026? — by Alex Piletska

"Immigration officers have told the BBC that since the UK left the European Union, it has become more difficult to check criminal records... told by law enforcement officials in mainland Europe that 15 other convicted people smugglers are now living in the UK under false names." #R4Today

Second reading stage, which is the first chance for MPs to formally debate and vote on the bill, now scheduled for Monday 13 July.

“In England and Wales the share of civil cases in county courts with lawyers on both sides fell from 51% in 2022, the year ChatGPT was launched, to 42% last year”. economist.com/business/202...

Immigration and Asylum Bill introduced 30 June 2026: asylum seekers with sufficient funds face a £10,000 repayment charge for accommodation and support. Full repayment required before settlement eligibility. Those departing must clear the debt before returning.

The UK government’s Immigration and Asylum Bill has now been published. Looks to cover asylum, ECHR and modern slavery, as advertised. No date yet set for first debate/vote by MPs. bills.parliament.uk/bills/4254

Ahead of tomorrow’s immigration bill to make it harder for migrants to get UK residence rights using human rights laws, the government has released estimates of how much those people cost the state once accepted www.gov.uk/government/p...

Shabana Mahmood’s immigration and asylum bill to go before MPs next week

The Independent Chief Inspector's report on ‘An inspection of asylum casework’ has been published and is available on the ICIBI website:

Why do asylum seekers come to the UK? Our latest Q&A looks at what influences their destination choices, including grant rates, family reunion policies, and the UK's departure from Dublin after Brexit. migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/co...

New Lords committee report on the UK’s proposed changes to the system for earning permanent residence, and discussing settlement/citizenship more generally committees.parliament.uk/committee/51...

Shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham pays tribute to the work of Keir Starmer in debating the Immigration Bill 2015/16 hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2015...

Former DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson is a paedophile, a jury has unanimously found: Guilty on all 18 counts, including rape of a primary school girl. Judge says jail is "inevitable" and ex-MP immediately remanded into custody. Full breaking coverage:

Common Travel Area controversy, 1962: the leader of the American Nazi Party arrives via Ireland for a National Socialism conference. "It now also looks as if a whole regiment of Nazis could sneak in by the back door from Ireland without being challenged by Britain". www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/9/...

"Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, will introduce new legislation within weeks to make it harder for rejected asylum seekers to use Article 8 rights to a family life under the European Convention on Human Rights to appeal their removal from the UK" www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06...

Tribunal statistics out today show that asylum appeal backlog has grown. Could better use of pre-appeal review process be part of the solution? For those who also missed it, @icibi.bsky.social has just released a call for evidence on pre-appeal review: tinyurl.com/s7f6jbmz Deadline 24 June 😱

The government is set to "intensify" its crackdown on illegal migrants living in Northern Ireland. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The Taoiseach and ministers have defended the Common Travel Area agreement saying it has benefitted both UK and Irish citizens jrnl.ie/7065965

On the Common Travel Area: "The PSNI assesses that Northern Ireland is primarily a transit route between the EU / Ireland and UK, rather than an end destination in itself". committees.parliament.uk/publications...

New Public Accounts Committee report on the asylum system. Striking how many of the recommendations focus on the urgent need for the Home Office to make much better links with MHCLG and local government. committees.parliament.uk/publications...

Widespread reports that the Home Office system for issuing ETAs has gone down, which is very bad news for people trying to travel to the UK if they didn't have it sorted in advance, and not an amazing reflection on the department's IT.

Demographic change comes at you fast www.economist.com/britain/2026...

YouGov most important issues tracker, 30 May - 1 June 2026 Economy: 54% (no change from 23-25 May) Immigration: 47% (+2) Health: 25% (-4) Crime: 22% (+4) Defence: 21% (-1) Welfare: 20% (=) Environment: 17% (+2) Housing: 16% (-1) Tax: 16% (-1) Europe: 14% (=) yougov.co.uk/topics/socie...

"A judicial review challenging the fairness of the Home Secretary and Secretary of Defence’s joint decision to close the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme to new applications without notice on 1 July 2025 has been dismissed. The High Court considered a number of…" — Free Movement

“Left-wing commentators Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur have been barred from entering the UK by the Home Office… on the grounds that their presence in the UK ’may not be conducive to the public good’’”. news.sky.com/story/two-us...

Indian man awarded almost £30,000 after UK employer failed to provide work

Rwanda loses international arbitration case against the UK arguing that it was still owed £100 million under the abandoned deal for relocating asylum seekers pcacases.com/web/sendAtta...

All law firms are using AI now constantly. The world of 18 months/2 years ago has gone. Similarly, students are using AI all the time. These hallucination cases are fun, but they won't be around much longer to laugh at. /1

"The figures suggest that if Xinjiang were a country, it would have the highest incarceration rate in the world, at 1,944 per 100,000 people. China’s nationwide rate is 119 per 100,000 people". www.ft.com/content/119d...

"An Artificial Intelligence (AI) age estimation tool that aims to detect adult migrants posing as children will be deployed at the UK's borders next year". www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

UK and France extend ‘one in, one out’ small boats pilot scheme until October

Record number of overseas applications for British passports in early 2026 - presumably because the Home Office began insisting that dual nationals need one to travel to the UK (rather than using their Australian or Canadian passport, say)

"New estimates released today show that the total foreign-born population increased by 2.4 million since the last census and now makes up 19% of the population" migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/press/falls-...