18 November 2025: Migrant Voice: The downward spiral of political hostility.

The downward spiral of hate and hostility against those seeking asylum and other migrants did not start with this government, it didn’t even start with the previous one, however it has been turbocharged with the current rhetoric.

During party conferences in September and October, and in interviews since, we have seen politicians from different parties try and outdo each other on the levels of inhumanity they can throw at us. Talk of mass deportations for those who already living and working here have been effectively “normalised” in some quarters.

With its hostile anti-asylum proposals yesterday, this government has thrown more petrol on the fire . We know from our experience working with other migrants how the current 20-year-route, which those who have “fallen out of status” have to go through, increases the risks of exploitation, along with causing significant mental and physical harm.

Continue reading “The downward spiral of political hostility.”

18 November 2025: Guardian: Asylum changes seek to use children as a weapon, says Labour peer Alf Dubs

Dubs, who was a child refugee, says Shabana Mahmood’s ‘shabby’ plans will increase community tensions

The home secretary is seeking “to use children as a weapon” in her changes to the asylum system, a veteran Labour peer who came to Britain as a child refugee has said.

Alf Dubs, who arrived in the UK aged six in 1939 fleeing the persecution of Jews in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, described Shabana Mahmood’s proposals as “a shabby thing”.

Mahmood faced a backlash from Labour MPs and refugee charities on Monday as she set out plans for the biggest shake-up of asylum laws in 40 years.

Continue reading “New anti-refugee laws put asylum rights under more threat than ever”

17 November 2025: Together With Refugees – TWR: Together With Refugees new report ‘Welcoming Growth: The economic case for a fair and humane asylum system’ 

Britain’s refugee policies have been uncaring, chaotic, and costly for too long. They aren’t working for refugees, and they aren’t working for communities across the country. 

The politically mismanaged and unnecessarily costly asylum system, along with unfounded narratives that refugees are a drain on public services and damage the economy, have led to febrile debates and violence. 

In reality, short-sighted, headline-grabbing, and incoherent Government policies are not only hindering the integration of refugees, damaging their well-being and economic stability, but also disturbing societal cohesion and values.

Together With Refugees new report, in partnership with the Public and Commercial Services Union, makes the economic case for a fair and humane asylum system. Read the press release here.

Continue reading “TWR: Welcoming Growth: The economic case for a fair and humane asylum system “

15 November 2025: UK charities condemn ‘immoral’ plans to force asylum seekers to volunteer

Making volunteering compulsory for refugees slammed as exploitative, bureaucratic and un-British

Hundreds of charities have said they will refuse to cooperate with “immoral” government plans to force refugees to undertake mandatory volunteering as a condition of being allowed to settle in the UK.

The charities said that compelling refugees and asylum seekers to volunteer would be exploitative, bureaucratic and un-British – and would undermine a fundamental principle that volunteers give their time and skills freely.

The government is expected imminently to publish outline detailed proposals for mandatory volunteering as part of a formal consultation on a wider “contribution-based settlement model” aimed at reducing immigration.

The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said in a speech to Labour party conference in September that in future people would have to prove they had made a social “contribution” – such as volunteering for local causes – to qualify for leave to remain.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/14/uk-charities-condemn-plans-to-force-migrants-to-volunteer

Tragic … following Denmark

Update 17 Nov 2025:

15 November 2025: BBC: UK set to limit refugees to temporary stays

People granted asylum in the UK will only be allowed to stay in the country temporarily, in a major change of policy to be announced by the home secretary on Monday.

Shabana Mahmood is expected to declare that the era of permanent protection for refugees is over, as she seeks to reduce asylum claims and small boat crossings.

Under the plans, those granted asylum will be returned to their home country when it is deemed safe and their status will be regularly reviewed.

Continue reading “UK set to limit refugees to temporary stays”

Updated 29 September 2025: BBC: Mahmood demands migrants earn right to settlement in UK

Migrants will have to prove they are contributing to society to earn the right to remain in the UK, the home secretary has said.

In her speech to the Labour conference, Shabana Mahmood outlined a series of new conditions migrants have to meet to qualify for indefinite leave to remain.

Under the proposals, legal migrants will have to learn English to a high standard, have a clean criminal record and volunteer in their community to be granted permanent settlement status.

Labour says the policy draws a clear dividing line between the government and Reform UK, which says it would abolish indefinite leave to remain.

Continue reading “Mahmood demands migrants earn right to settlement in UK”

This heartless system

23 September 2025: BBC: Behind the doors of asylum hotels – what I found when I went inside

As I eat a meal cooked on the floor of a shower, I realise nothing has prepared me for what life is like for the residents of an asylum hotel.

[…]

The Home Office says it is identifying more suitable relocation sites for asylum seekers, such as disused buildings and former military facilities.

In the meantime, “we expect all providers to uphold the highest standards in preserving the safety, security, and wellbeing of those in their care”, said a spokesperson.

Since talking to me at the asylum hotel, Kadir and his family have been told they are to be moved on once more – to two hotels in different cities. Kadir and his baby daughter have been offered accommodation in one hotel, and Mira, Shayan and Roman in another, nearly 200 miles away.

But they are refusing to go. Kadir has already been told he has lost his weekly benefit and there is a chance the family will be deemed to have made themselves intentionally homeless.

The future for the family – like many other asylum seekers – remains anything but certain.

Read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy8ee2w73jo

1 September 2025: Independent: Yvette Cooper’s Plans to Fix the Asylum System Won’t Work

After a summer of spiralling migrant numbers and protests outside asylum hotels, the home secretary has returned to the Commons with tougher new restrictions – but Labour looks like it’s playing catch-up to Reform, says Emily Sheffield

On the government’s first day back in the Commons – after a summer marked by dire headlines about asylum hotels and an ever-rising number of arrivals in small boats – Yvette Cooper was probably hoping that her plans to fix “our broken asylum system” would draw a line under things. Fat chance, home secretary.

Continue reading “Yvette Cooper’s Plans to Fix the Asylum System Won’t Work”

27 August 2026: Freemovement: Briefing: the sorry state of the UK asylum system

In this briefing we will take a look at what is really going on with the main features of the contemporary asylum system: arrivals, the backlog, detention, removal and resettlement. The focus is on what caused the backlog and what consequences will flow from the large number of decisions being made. The information is drawn mainly from the quarterly immigration statistics and transparency data for the year ended June 2025, the most recent available at the time of writing.

The picture the data presents is of a system that has been overwhelmed. Not by new arrivals but by mismanagement.

Read more: https://freemovement.org.uk/briefing-the-sorry-state-of-the-uk-asylum-system

28 August 2025: Thank you Bishop Steven: Diocese of Oxford, who speaks for many of us when he writes

Dear Mr Farage

I was sorry not to meet you on your visit to Oxford this week to announce your party’s new policy on migration.

As Bishop of Oxford, I know that Oxford is one of the kindest and most welcoming cities in the country and one of the greatest cultural crossroads in the world. I’m honoured to be one of the patrons of Asylum Welcome which offers information, advice and practical support to asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable migrants living in Oxfordshire.

Our city seemed a strange choice for your press conference. Perhaps you had in mind that you were near the site of Campsfield House, opposite the airport in Kidlington. Campsfield House was an Immigration Removal Centre operated by Group 4 which closed in 2018. I remember vividly going to visit and meeting those detained in my early years as Bishop. The government plans to re-build and re-open the site as part of its long-term plans.

I agree with some of what you said in the press conference. Immigration questions and border security are vital. The flow of migrants across the Channel in small boats is perilous and heartbreaking to watch. There are real challenges to community cohesion if these issues are not addressed.

But I disagree (profoundly) with your proposed policy in the following ways:

Continue reading “An open letter to Nigel Farage”