Han Graham

Headline from Byline Times newspaper reading "Labour's Borders Bill is a gift to the far right that won't stop boats but will cost lives"

Labour's new Borders Bill WON'T
❌ Stop channel crossings
❌ End people smuggling
❌ Fix our broken asylum system

What it will do is cost lives and increase suffering.

Why are we still seeing the same old, failed ideas on asylum?
https://buff.ly/4gtuKUe

Labour launches ads in Reform-style branding to boast about deportations Exclusive: Some MPs and activists upset at tone of party’s Facebook campaign aimed at countering Farage

Treating voters like absolute fools - if people want to vote Reform, they want to vote for Reform, not an Aldi knock-off copy. And if all you do is reinforce that Reform’s racist nonsense is correct, then OF COURSE people will want to vote Reform.
How about an actual, positive alternative?

We all remember that the Conservatives literally just lost an election after running on a platform of really harsh migration policy, right? I didn’t just dream that?? Do they really think the issue for voters was that they just didn’t hate migrants quite enough?

Three years ago, Judith Butler predicted in a Guardian interview that “gender-critical” feminists would not be part of the fight against fascism. This caused a massive “GC” backlash, prompting The Guardian to censor the interview. And yet here they now are, definitively proving Butler correct.

New Asylum Bill announced. More protection for LGBTQI+ people seeking safety? Sadly, no.

We are appalled to see this government continuing down the path of cruelty of the previous government. Instead it should be making a meaningful break that speaks to the millions of people that voted for change almost seven months ago. 🧵

The Government could end deaths in the channel today with safe routes for people to seek asylum. Instead, today’s Borders Bill will cost yet more lives.

It’s time to #FightForAsylumRights and show the Government that the public won’t stand by as they make the same deadly mistakes.

Big Issue's Changemakers of 2025: Refugees and asylum seekers From projects using sport to unite people to recruitment platforms levelling the field, our Changemakers are making a difference.

There are so many fantastic projects like this, with refugees and people seeking asylum at the centre of them, all across the UK.

Great to see @bigissue.com celebrating the welcome that is at the heart of so many of our communities 🧡

We wrongly said that a study on behalf of Thames Water showed “1 in 12 Londoners is an illegal migrant” (News, Jan 23). In fact the study covered only 7 million people in specific “water resource zones”, not the whole population of London, which is closer to 9 million. 1 in 12 was the highest of a range of estimates for the proportion of “irregular migrants”, but these estimates included some people who are not illegal immigrants, such as those given indefinite leave to remain, as well as some British-born children of migrants with irregular status.

The Times essentially reprinted the Telegraph's nonsense story about "illegal migrants" [thread appended below.]

They have now published a detailed correction. I expect the Telegraph to follow.

Suggestions about immigration on this front page:

1) increased immigration is bad
2) EU nationals leaving the UK is also bad.

So if EU immigration is good, exactly what type of immigration does the Independent think is bad?

🤔🤔🤔

It is entirely within our power to make 2025 a year where not one single person drowns attempting to cross the channel.

It is up to us to demand it, in these people’s names.

New elections could take up to four years, Syria rebel leader says Sharaa says it could take three years to write a constitution and longer to establish voting integrity.

Yet another reason why pausing refugee claims for Syrians is fundamentally wrong. That is four years of instability at least, while refugee status only lasts for five. You can't gauge Syria will be safe in that period. Pausing applications leaves people in limbo. #r4today
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Oh great we get to hear from a Labour mp about all the deportations Labour is doing.

In response to three people’s death this is what we get.

Give me strength. They even asked if ID cards would stop drownings??
IMMIGRANTS NEED ID TO WORK & ACCESS SERVICES ALREADY #r4today

On this International Migrants Day, we dream of a world where everyone has the right to remain where they want to be – not because they are “deserving”, not because they are made “vulnerable”, not because they are “exceptional”, but because they love, they live and they are human.

2024 has been a year of violence towards migrants.

So this #InternationalMigrantsDay, we want to take the opportunity to say:

We will always stand against it.

And will always stand for welcome and compassion.

A graphic that says ‘A statement of support for the ongoing inclusion of trans women in women’s football - Let Trans Women Play!’ and shows the logos of Football v Homophobia and Football v Transphobia

As part of FvH’s Football v Transphobia initiative, we are asking women and non-binary people involved in #womensfootball, and their allies, to co-sign a community statement asking The FA to continue to include trans women.

You can view and sign here 👉 www.footballvhomophobia.com/let_them_play/

What will happen to Syrian asylum seekers in the UK? The UK suspended all asylum claims from Syria in response to the fall of the Assad regime.

Ridiculous that thousands of people who’ve already waited far too long for safety have to ask this question just weeks after the fall of a horrific regime.
Let people celebrate and hope - don’t leave them in limbo & threaten to force them back before we even know what the new Syria will look like.

Let’s stop being coy about how Italy has reduced migrant arrivals.

Starmer is cosying up to Meloni to learn her secrets - what’s the problem?

I went on a rant on BBC5Live about it this week.
ENOUGH head scratching.
It’s torture
Slavery
Dumping people in the desert to die

Yvette Cooper urged to end ‘cruel’ pause on Syrian asylum decisions Asylum seekers say they are in limbo and charities have expressed ‘deep concern’ as claims paused after Assad regime’s fall

Over 700 organisations have signed a letter to the Home Officer, urging them to keep processing asylum claims by people from Syria.

Through our services we know that the community is fearful about their future here. It's time to reverse this cruel decision.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024...

Labour’s manifesto promised to “remove indignities for trans people”, yet the government’s ban on puberty blockers adopts the Tories’ politicised unevidenced approach.

Young people — cis & trans — must have access to healthcare they need. I stand firmly with the trans community.

Text from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 14, which reads "everyone has the right to seek... asylum from persecution"

This #HumanRightsDay let's remember that asylum is a key pillar of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Anyone fleeing persecution has the right to seek sanctuary in another country. Laws that punish people asking for protection violate the human rights that protect us all.

Block the bailout: no bill hikes to save Thames Water shareholders! Let's come together to stop any bill increases that only benefit Thames Water shareholders!

🚨Today! 🚨

📢Block the Bailout📢

Join us at 11:30 in London

Together we’ll call on Steve Reed to protect bill payers from bailing out Thames Water 💧

Sign up below and see you there!
#BlockTheBailout #PublicOwnership #ThamesWater
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/block-the-...

An infographic featuring a list of professions held by people questioned in a 2018 survey of people who were navigating the UK asylum system - there are more than 60 professions listed, including nurse, laboratory assistant, farmer, plumber and solicitor.

These are some of the jobs people told us they did before fleeing to the UK for safety - jobs they're banned from doing while making an asylum claim.
Lifting the ban would give people back their dignity and let their communities benefit from their skills. Agree? Join our coalition at bit.ly/3ZnbAKG

King Charles's Coronation cost taxpayers £72m - BBC News Government figures show that more than £20 million was spent by the Home Office policing the event.

Imagine how many pensions’ winter fuel allowances we could have paid for if we’d cut this one pensioner’s pointless archaic ceremony allowance.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Over 1.4 million emergency food parcels were provided by food banks in the @trusselluk.bsky.social community in six months.
We're joining @jrf-uk.bsky.social and Trussell to share the news that its time to end hardship for all in the UK.

With farm owners protesting today over the prospect of paying a highly discounted inheritence tax, I'm sure you've seen quotes about how they "feed the nation".

But nobody is talking about the migrant workers who actually pick the crops on horticulture farms, so here's a short thread about them.

Say what you like about fascism, bots and constant ads, but they really were effective at driving down my Twitter usage. Bluesky making me realise that perhaps the only way to save my attention span is for all social media to be made viscerally awful.

Water, energy, rail and Royal Mail should all be run by the state, voters say A poll shows a majority of voters believe key services including energy and water should be run by the state amid growing anger over sky-high bills and sewage pollution

Brilliant bit of polling from @38degrees.bsky.social shows that majority of public support public ownership of water, energy, rail and Royal Mail.

Chimes with HNH research which found that Reform UK voters broadly support progressive measures like these.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

Home Office ‘wasted’ £15m of taxpayers’ cash on asbestos-filled migrant camp The Home Office completed the sale of the Northeye site in September 2023 for about £15.4 million.

What could our public services have done with this £15m wasted on demonstrative cruelty?

Instead of throwing away cash trying to lock people up in barracks, people seeking safety should be living in and contributing to our communities.

www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...