Lucy Potter

British dual nationals risk imminent refusal of travel to UK, Home Office affirms Government ignores pleas for a grace period before new rules come into force on Wednesday British citizens with a second nationality risk being blocked from entering the UK from Wednesday, the Home Office has confirmed. The government has decided to ignore pleas from families, the Liberal Democrats and the former Conservative cabinet minister David Davies for a grace period to allow British dual nationals to adapt to the new rules they face. Continue reading...

British dual nationals risk imminent refusal of travel to UK, Home Office affirms

How do you prove who you are when your identity is still evolving? 🌀

Leaving religion in contexts with blasphemy laws is complex.

The UK asylum system lacks the tools to recognise this reality. We’re launching our new report on 24th/3 to bridge this gap.

Register here: tinyurl.com/5eedhknf

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK wants to ban churches from becoming mosques Zia Yusuf said his party wants to “protect the Christian heritage of Britain.”

'Most of us in Britain aren’t Christian in our beliefs, practices, or identity. Although Christianity has contributed to our heritage, pre-Christian, non-Christian, and post-Christian influences have been just as important.' @andrewcopson.bsky.social

www.politico.eu/article/nige...

The Equality Act is an essential safeguard against discrimination, and it should matter to everyone Humanists UK is dismayed at Reform UK’s announcement that it intends to repeal the Equality Act 2010 if it were to win the next general election. Humanists UK believes the Equality Act is a vital piec...

The Equality Act needs to be strengthened, not scrapped.

It brings together decades of anti-discrimination law.
It protects you at work and in public life.
It safeguards society's most vulnerable.

Reform UK want to repeal it.

humanists.uk/2026/02/19/t...

Thanks for sharing Michael! 😊

For anyone interested in the intersection of religion, identity, and human rights, the full paper is here: doi.org/10.5334/snr....

I found that the asylum system’s demand for 'credible' narratives can clash with the messy, emotional reality of leaving faith.

These emotions are exacerbated when seeking protection. As another participant explained: 'We're talking about very traumatic things and then getting safety depends on [asylum interviewer] believing them'.

Take, for example, one participant who explained: 'I went into some sort of a depression when I became an atheist because I started to feel lonely. I started to feel like I don’t
have anyone around me who I can communicate'

Refugees who leave their religion experience intense fear, isolation, grief, as well as positive emotions like relief. These emotions shape not only their identity but also how they navigate the asylum process.

Just out: my new research on apostasy and non-religion among asylum seekers in the UK. It explores what it’s like emotionally to leave a religion in countries where it’s dangerous, and seek refuge here. 🧵

A smug picture of Matthew Goodwin from the metro captioned METRO MATTHEW GOODWIN INTERVIEW "Reform will give incentives to women who have more children and will penalise those who don't. Change is coming"

to be clear, Matthew Goodwin has one (1) child and should thus be penalised for failing to meet the replacement rate under the incentive scheme that he’s established here

Thrilled to share my *first* academic paper has been published in Secularism and Nonreligion! 🎉

I talk about the emotional journeys of leaving religion & navigating the British asylum system. Read it here 👉 secularismandnonreligion.org/articles/232...

Jim Ratcliffe, a tax resident of Monaco who has legally avoided an estimated £4 billion in UK taxes, says,

"The UK is being colonised by immigrants, isn't it?"

Ed Conway, "You met recently with Nigel Farage, didn't you?"

Jim Ratcliffe, "I did"

So nice to finally have my research turned into something tangible and accessible in hand! A report ready to be read, shared and used 📄✨

Launch coming soon 📆
@humanists.uk @annastrhan.bsky.social @uoy-sociology.bsky.social

‘Raciological thinking’: Poland’s narratives of race, eugenics, and nation-formation'

From our Special Collection commemorating #HolocaustMemorialDay, with #OpenAccess:

doi.org/10.1080/1070...

@nasarmeer.bsky.social Aaron Winter Taylor & Francis Research

Distraught woman says ICE killed her wife in video after deadly Minneapolis shooting "They killed my wife," the distraught woman says, adding, "They shot her in the head." An ICE agent shot and killed a 37-year-old woman who was driving an SUV in Minneapolis on Wednesday. / Screenshot/@Breaking911

"They killed my wife. I don't know what to do," the woman says through sobs in the footage, with a damaged SUV visible in the distance behind her. "We stopped to videotape, and they shot her in the head," the woman cries. "We have a six-year-old at school," she says, almost unable to breathe, as a chaotic scene in which federal officers prevented at least one doctor who was on the scene from assisting the shot victim unfolds. "We're new here," the distraught woman says in despair.

You and your wife drop your 6-year-old off at school. You just moved here. You see ICE terrorizing your new neighbors. You film them, as is your legal right. Your wife complies with orders. She is then shot in the head. You still have to pick up your child later today.

This could be you.

Any other ECRs feeling pressured to become a kind of influencer? 🤔

It’s what these authors call ‘post or perish’, interesting read! journals.humankinetics.com/view/journal...

Reminder:

📣 Women’s rights are human rights
📣 Refugee rights are human rights
📣 Either we all have rights, or none of us do

#HumanRightsDay

1/🧵

We must also remember that asylum is a human right! The UK’s growing barriers to refuge threaten the safety of people fleeing persecution for their beliefs, including non-religious individuals. #HumanRightsDay

UN demands asylum protection for the non-religious A United Nations report has demanded that asylum systems worldwide must become fit for purpose for non-religious individuals, citing evidence submitted by Humanists UK. The UN Special Rapporteur on Fr...

The UN must do more to ensure states protect the rights of non-religious people and apostates. I’ve been proud to intervene this year to highlight the dangers they face.

humanists.uk/2025/10/23/u...

Non-religious people seeking asylum are disbelieved, dismissed, or misunderstood. At the UN this year, I raised these concerns directly: freedom of thought is a human right #HumanRightsDay

www.york.ac.uk/cahr/news/20...

Well done! A Massachusetts church displayed an “ICE was here” sign in its Nativity scene.

Last week I was in Glasgow for the @thesociologicalreview.org’s ECR Day and Annual Lecture 👏🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

There’s been a few changes to the Committee since our annual conference, so we thought it would be a good idea to introduce and reintroduce the people behind the scenes. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks as we’ll be sharing a little about each person and their role on the SocRel Committee

Faith to Faithless wins award for empowering Women’s Group A specialist Faith to Faithless group supporting women leaving high-control religions was recognised in London this week as part of the 2025 London Dangoor Awards, also known as the Faith & Belief For...

Leaving a high-control religion can be incredibly isolating, especially for women who've faced profound levels of religious coercion, abuse, & misogyny. This programme offers a vital space for freedom, solidarity, & rebuilding lives. A well-deserved award for our @faith2faithless.bsky.social team.

Britain’s asylum system is costly, chaotic, and uncaring - but it doesn’t have to be.

It’s time for evidence-based policy - fair to refugees, good for Britain. #TogetherWithRefugees

Read the report: togetherwithrefugees.org.uk/welcoming-gr...

Constant reassessment of belief-based claims means repeated efforts in ‘proving’ refugees are deserving of protection. If these policies go ahead, refugees will be constantly reminded of the trauma, discrimination and violence they have escaped - it’s dehumanising and intrusive.

Non-religious refugees already struggle to have their persecution recognised. Under temporary status, they could be told it’s ‘safe’ to return even when social hostility, blasphemy laws, or extremist groups still make return life-threatening. The policy is blind to lived reality.

What does ‘safe’ mean for people persecuted for their identites like the non-religious & LGBTQ+? Their risk doesn’t disappear because a country looks stable on paper.

Reassessing thousands of cases every 30 months won’t capture that nuance, and the Home Office is already overwhelmed.