Brilliant new project!

100% this

V senior Labour MPs and Hope Not Hate have called on the prime minister and Labour to speak up louder against far right hate and division. Our story here www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

It’s being reported that Government are about to announce the furthering the use of Barracks to warehouse Refugees. Ignoring the findings of the National Audit Office report that these are significantly more expensive than hotels. But that’s just the financial cost www.nao.org.uk/reports/inve...

Scotland’s leading academic on refugees warns that British political rhetoric is taking the UK ‘into the foothills of genocide’ Professor Alison Phipps, Unesco chair in refugee integration at Glasgow University, says demonisation will end in deaths www.heraldscotland.com/news/2544663...

Thank you to Dr. Nick Maynard — and all of the other witnesses and experts — for sharing your testimony at Day 1 of the Gaza Tribunal. Join us again today to learn more about this government’s complicity in crimes against humanity. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

Statement of changes to the immigration rules just published, suspending applications for refugee family reunion from 3pm today. Barely 30 minutes notice. No end for the suspension given www.gov.uk/government/p...

Good bit of myth busting, which does also include comments by @laurenhstarkey.bsky.social and myself, for some of the utter nonsense churned out about people seeking asylum, and repeated unquestioningly by some media commentators in today's @bigissue.com. www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

The Home Office's own (excellent) research summary says a) asylum seekers come to the UK primarily because of social networks/ties b) welfare and labour market policies are *not* a big "pull factor" c) safe routes would help freemovement.org.uk/wp-content/u...

The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) has passed a resolution stating that Israel’s “policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide.” time.com/7313709/isra...

Every day I wake up to another far right policy announcement I didn’t vote for and wasn’t in the ruling party’s manifesto. Those who did ‘vote for change’ are raging at betrayal. I also wake up in a devolved part of the U.K where cross party leaders in local & national government have stepped up

Withdrawing from ECHR used to be an obsession of the lunatic far right of the Conservative Party not even to be entertained by mainstream of that party. @uklabourparty.bsky.social have, like the conservatives, been cannibalised by the far right

In a year of Labour putting major restrictions on legal immigration to appease immigration focussed voters they have gone from 35% to 19% in polls, immigration is now a higher profile issue, and both right opposition parties have moved to calling, either as leaders or as MPs, for mass deportations.

Extending the "move on period" came at the end of lengthy campaigning, and reams of evidence showing how 28 days led to homelessness, and more pressure on local authorities. This is a counterproductive, retrograde, move by Labour designed to chase Reform. Despicable! www.bbc.com/news/article...

It’s arrived. The best theoretical text I’ve ever read on the figure and experience of the refugee. Congratulations @hyabyohannes.bsky.social @uofgunescorila.bsky.social Order here for your library www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/1...

This is an interesting proposal from Future Governance Forum on how Asylum Management Centres could address small boat Channel crossings. I'd be interested to know what people think of this. www.futuregovernanceforum.co.uk/2025/05/15/w...

New from Free Movement: What do we know about the UK-France agreement on asylum returns? | Sonia Lenegan freemovement.org.uk/what-do-we-k...

Great writing from @nicolakellywrites.bsky.social "It’s absolutely unfathomable how far Labour’s moral compass has drifted"

We urgently need to #DecriminalizeFacilitation to ensure the fundamental rights of people on the move! What does this mean? @en.sea-watch.org @sos-humanity.bsky.social @ecchr.bsky.social @iuventa-crew.org @borderline-europe.bsky.social @louisemichelcrew.bsky.social

I'm going to this! It looks to be a really important conference. Looking forward to listening and learning

Brilliant writing from @mauricestierl.bsky.social The Guardian "An effigy of refugees, burned by a crowd: this is where Europe’s brutal fantasy of border control has led us" www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Powerful and important writing by Travis Van Isacker on the inquiry into Britain's deadliest 'small boat' disaster. Worth taking the time to read to the end theconversation.com/what-caused-...

This is a brilliant (and rare!) opportunity for a scholar who works in postcolonial/anticolonial/decolonial historical sociology to work with @alimeghji.bsky.social on a project entitled 'Theorizing the global field: the de-Americanisation of Pan-Africanism'. www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/52165/

500+ Master’s scholarships available for African refugee and displaced students at 25+ universities worldwide www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/news/rlrh-la...

This is great!

“The UK government’s continued complicity in Israel’s atrocities is unconscionable, and I do not want to spend another day operating on children who have been shot and starved by a military our government supports.” Devastating reporting.

"Many providers [universities] will need to take increasingly bold action [redundancies] to address the impact of challenges on their financial position ... We have reallocated 33 full-time equivalent roles towards financial sustainability and market exit [collapse of institutions] activity”

Really excited to see this textbook go to press! 'The modern world after colonialism: remaking the social sciences' comes out of the Connected Sociologies Curriculum Project (lnkd.in/eAeY-9_H). It shows what difference taking colonialism seriously means for a range of topics, aimed at first year UGs

Great article from @vickytaylor in @opendemocracy on Labour's new one in one our policy: "Labour has done what they said they wouldn’t – introduce performative gimmicks to convince voters they’re in ‘control’ of migration." www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...

This is an important piece from a senior Holocaust scholar (who grew up in Israel and is an IDF veteran), and it’s important that it’s published in the NYT.

Interesting article from my colleague @hannahjlewis.bsky.social on the politics of victimhood in modern slavery and trafficking

UK resumes processing of Syrian asylum claims #Refugees

We abandoned them in the first place. Some were denied asylum because MoD officials worried they might report on war crimes. This government has recently cancelled an Afghan resettlement route and now this, which is still leaving thousands at risk. FFS! www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

I hear that Macron has been talking about how the UK needs to do more to remove the pull factors of welfare and work in order to stop small boat Channel crossings. This is an analysis which doesn't event flirt with reality. What are the pull factors?

Finland withdrawing from the landmine convention. What could possibly go wrong?

Our dedicated study of UK asylum seeker & refugee experiences of #forcedlabour found no right to work means asylum seekers avoid entering labour market until pressure becomes extreme to meet basic needs, pay legal fees, or remit to safeguard family policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/precarious-l...

The whole Labour offer on small boats hinged on “smashing the gangs” (an unceasing forever battle never to be won) and “doing deals with Europe”. And now we have a deal! Will it work? www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

'A multi-million-pound British government scheme to help exploited migrant care workers find new work has largely failed due to barriers including high visa costs, research showed on Thursday.' www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-...

What to do about Channel crossings? * Agree with Amy Pope’s DG of IOM comments yesterday. * Too late to stop small boats once people arrive in Calais * So we need to be looking at push factors:

I'm looking over the Channel policy timeline on our website. It so devastatingly shows the toxic relationship between borders and irregular migration, leading to human rights violations, racism and deep deep harm to people who are seeking asylum. channelcrossings.org/home-2/timel...

We do need earlier intervention. And this has to include recognising our role and the role of Europen countries in creating the conditions for migration -how arms sales, foreign policy, foreign military intervention and much more contribute to forced migration www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Too late to stop small boats once people arrive in Calais, says UN migration chief

The British Academy have opened their postdoc scheme. If you are interested in applying at Sheffield to work on anything related to borders and bordering, please get in tuoch! www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/post...

Great explainer on the Starmer/Macron 'deal' on small boats from @zoejardiniere.bsky.social. Obviously absolutely ridiculous and meaningless RE: stopping small boats to have a one in one out policy. youtu.be/RyOW0tMmbKI?...

I have been working on building this database of crimes of solidarity&humanitarianism for a few years. It's a resource for research and legal cases and activists -to get an overall sense of patterns across different locations. If you would like to help please get in touch www.crimesofsolidarity.org

‘Given the size of Palestine Action and the breadth of support so far expressed for it, proscribing it could lead to a significant proportion of civil society being criminalised, including MPs, journalists and NGOs.’ New on the blog: Daniella Lock on Palestine Action. www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/ju...

One for weekend listening

Today Yvette Cooper said she wants to criminalise people crossing the Channel "to keep children safe". She clearly hasn't read our report! Our research shows how increased securitization of the UK France border doesn't keep children safe, it puts them in danger 👇

We need to be doing more to join the dots between those who profit from war, and those who profit from bordering. A good example is Anduril Industries, the military tech company.

Important new book! Immigration Detention Inc. The Big Business of Locking up Migrants by @nancyhiemstra.bsky.social and @drdconlon.bsky.social Buy it here: www.plutobooks.com/978074534946...