'Not fit for purpose' - the secret history of a deadly phrase

After all the hue & cry about dual nationals caught out by the requirement to enter the UK with a UK passport following the introduction of the electronic travel authorisation (ETA) requirement, note the same thing will happen in reverse with the launch of the EU’s ETIAS system later this year.

"Right-wing parties in Britain see it as a barrier to deporting illegal migrants and plan to pull out" — The Economist

"The International English Language Testing System... has withdrawn from the tender and told the Home Office that it is concerned about the risk to the UK immigration system from fully remote online tests". www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ielts-p...

Published today! My take on why it’s so difficult for governments to make immigration policies that people trust What Is Immigration Policy For? amzn.eu/d/03bM5fDM

Inside Labour’s escalating immigration feud: www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-... Also available as a free podcast: open.spotify.com/episode/4fPW...

Anyone with knowledge and experience of the UK-France Agreement on the Prevention of Dangerous Journeys is invited to submit evidence for ICIBI's inspection of this area by 7 April 2026:

"Over the last decade, the percentage of new social housing lettings to refugees steadily increased from 0.4% in 2014/15 (1,400 households) to 2.3% (4,700 households) in 2024/25". www.gov.uk/government/s...

Forget Denmark: the asylum system really worth looking at is in Switzerland, a new report argues www.smf.co.uk/publications...

Lord Reed will retire from the post of President of the Supreme Court. Here is my writeup of his career, for The Critic Magazine: thecritic.co.uk/the-man-who-...

derrickwyatt.substack.com Subscription is free.

Great news: 1.3 million people have been lifted out of poverty this morning! All thanks to a change in the statistics. After changing how income data is gathered, the DWP now believes it was over-estimating 'low income' levels by at least a million people in recent years, including 400k children.

New from Free Movement: Call for evidence on the new Independent Appeals Body | Jasmine Quiller-Doust freemovement.org.uk/call-for-evi...

BREAKING Martin Hewitt - the UK’s first Border Security Commander - is leaving his role after just 18 months. Small boat crossings were 2nd highest on record last year. Sun journalist Julia Atherley broke the story.. www.thesun.co.uk/news/3857940...

Fresh decision in 'chicken nugget' deportation case www.breakingnews.ie/world/vulner...

"In 2021, Canada broke its record from 1913 for the most newcomers in a year in Canadian history, then it broke the new record in 2022 and that new record in 2023". hillnotes.ca/2025/07/10/r...

National Audit Office conclusions on the Afghan resettlement scheme, from a report out today: www.nao.org.uk/reports/inve...

"I have watched footage of people in those boats who, seeing the police approach, pick up children and throw them in the sea, knowing that the police will have to rescue them rather than stop the migrant boat" hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2026...

At the Permanent Court of Arbitration, Rwanda has filed a claimed against the United Kingdom for failing to honour its end of the deal under the Asylum Partnership Agreement.

TLDR no, but an interesting read.

Update on UK-EU youth mobility visa negotiations observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

Interesting on the trend in enforcing work visa rules: even if no inspector turns up in person, you're still being inspected www.birketts.co.uk/legal-update...

What triggers the UK government to ban people from certain countries from getting work or study visas? The new 'visa brake' policy is explained below. From this impact assessment, as spotted by @msumption.bsky.social: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69a9a3...

A motion to formally reject the immigration rule changes published on 5 March has now gone down - one to watch. Whether or not it comes to a vote is up to the government, potentially influenced by how many MPs sign it. edm.parliament.uk/early-day-mo...

Gas freemovement.org.uk/statement-of...

Summary of some changes to the immigration rules being published today. They include having refugees apply to renew their right to reside after 30 months, although "renewal of protection will not be equivalent to making an initial asylum claim" questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-stat...

Deporting foreign criminals more quickly does have the unpopular trade-off identified here: they serve less prison time www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

China used UK Border Force officer for 'shadow policing operations' China used a Border Force officer to carry out "shadow policing operations" in the UK including spying on dissidents and forcing entry to a suspected fraudster's flat, a court has heard.

Can a British citizen travel to the UK using a non-British passport? Newly updated by popular demand commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri...

"It is no surprise that the government is looking for ways to reduce asylum claims by visa holders. It is the first time a targeted visa ban like this has ever been used but it may not be the last". wewantedworkers.substack.com/p/student-an...

Today's announcement bans international students and workers from certain countries. Would have affected about 4,000 students and 300 workers last year.

"Government to end study visas from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan, and work visas for Afghans... The visa brake will be introduced via an Immigration Rules change on 5 March 2026 and come into force on 26 March 2026" www.gov.uk/government/n...

"@jrsuk.bsky.social’s research found that it was often impossible for people in detention to access even the 30 minutes of legal advice, much less a lawyer who would take on their cases and meaningfully represent them". blogs.law.ox.ac.uk/border-crimi...

"The first step towards a new, ‘core protection’ system will be introduced through a change to the Immigration Rules later this week".

Shabana Mahmood will announce that from Monday any asylum seeker successfully given refugee status in the UK will be offered only temporary protection... these measures will come into force without a parliamentary vote as they simply change existing rules. #R4Today

"The data illustrate a general challenge the government faces, which is that the types of migration that are easiest for the government to control and reduce are the ones that are most economically beneficial". migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/press/asylum...

In other news, commencement of the new legislation extending liability to carriers regarding people who need an ETA not having one is actually on 20 March. So: either carriers have intentionally been given a grace period until that date, or that the Home Office forgot to commence it for 25/2.

These figures illustrate a point @jtmigratory.bsky.social made recently: millions of EU citizens have been granted settlement "without the slightest murmur of political or public disapproval", whereas settlement for the mostly non-EU citizens who've arrived post-Brexit is a major issue.

New Home Office statistics release on the total asylum backlog: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This chart on the top ten nationalities claiming asylum in 2025 is striking. Not only for the nationalities (a lot more claims from Pakistan than I realised, for example) but also the differences in means of entry.

The HO summary says that the year on year grant rate for Syrian claims has dropped from 98% to 9% www.gov.uk/government/s...

Also a helpful written statement on enforcement of electronic travel authorisations, including the situation for British dual nationals: questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-stat...

Immigration minister Mike Tapp quoted in Australian media: enforcement of electronic travel authorisation rules at the UK border will be "pragmatic" www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02...

Home Office to begin removing post-Brexit residence rights from EU citizens whom it believes haven't actually been living in the UK, from March 2026 committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence...

New from Free Movement: Will the UK really ban dual nationals who don’t have a British passport? | Alexander Finch

"Sometimes returnees were offered a 'free' second trip to the UK because the first trip ended with a return to France", asylum seekers report www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Small boats litigation, British Indian Ocean Territory edition: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Latest on British dual nationals border rule change. Home Office say carriers may "at their discretion" accept expired passports as proof of British citizenship. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

What is immigration policy for? @msumption.bsky.social of @migobs.bsky.social explores this question ahead of the launch of her book. Pre-order Madeleine’s book using the code FEB26 for 25% off. Offer ends 20 Feb. 🔗https://www.waterstones.com/campaign/february-pre-order-offer #WPreorder

It will be interesting to see if there is any actual rise in people (insanely) renouncing their British citizenship because they object to travelling on a British passport www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...