Alice Welsh

Front page of Scottish Commission on Social Security Scrutiny report on draft Regulations: The Two Child Limit Payment (Scotland) Regulations 2026

Did you know that the Scottish Government has immediate plans to introduce a top-up benefit for families in Scotland affected by the UK's two child limit? Short 🧵

The Scottish Commission on Social Security scrutinised the draft regulations at pace this summer & I was invited to submit observations

Windrush commemoration monument, by Basil Walsh: image from the House of Lords website

*Why* does it matter that NOBODY in the UK currently knows whether or not they have Withdrawal Agreement based residence rights? A Court of Appeal judge asked this yesterday. IT MATTERS, as our evidence to the HoL European Affairs Committee explains, for 3 reasons (spolier alert: one is Windrush):

What do we need to do before creating shiny new UK-EU reset rules? Make existing rules work properly! Our *newly published* response to the HoL consultation highlights a giant problem facing EUSS holders: a COMPLETE ABSENCE of evidence of WA rights. committees.parliament.uk/writtenevide...

And also inspired by, and possibly of interest to:
@martin-cpag.bsky.social, @daphnehall.bsky.social, @nawra.bsky.social, @britishineurope.bsky.social, @jdportes.bsky.social, @dionkramer.bsky.social, @akulith.bsky.social, @paulietandoori.bsky.social (END).

Inspired by the work of, and might be of interest to: @moniquehawkins.bsky.social, @the3million.bsky.social, @wbuadvice.bsky.social, @mckeevergrainne.bsky.social, @stevepeers.bsky.social, @adrienneyong.bsky.social, @clsisel.bsky.social, @cpaguk.bsky.social, @fionacostello.bsky.social (9/10)

The Market Citizenship Illusion This open access book challenges the existing focus in EU citizenship scholarship which overlooks the limitations of free movement for atypical workers.Arguing…

It is a big deal to me that this research is accessible to all - the book is available OPEN ACCESS as this means that advisers, NGOs, lawyers, and EU NATIONALS THEMSELVES can read it at no cost!
If you prefer turning physical pages you can order a copy from www.bloomsbury.com/uk/market-ci... (8/10)

Instead, I suggest a more accurate description: “market membership”. Rights are reserved for those workers who are economically active ENOUGH and conduct their work in the ‘correct’ consistent and regular way – subscriptions must be paid and club etiquette rules observed. (7/10)

EU citizenship is often described as a market citizenship - rights are attached to good economic citizens. The book highlights 2 issues with this model i) This view of economic activity is outdated ii) A focus on 'standard' work compounds discrimination/ ignores economic contributions of many (6/10)

is clearly *discriminatory*: women, disabled, young and migrant workers are expected to reconcile their lives around a male-centric model of work and are more likely to be in atypical work. They are then told they are not ‘real’ workers. I have termed this “INEQUALITY SQUARED”. (5/10)

Case studies from the AIRE Centre and the EU Rights and Brexit Hub highlight an over-reliance on earnings thresholds, income, consistency, individual employers and an expectation of no breaks from work (e.g. for childcare or caring for relatives). This is *profoundly anachronistic*, and… (4/10)

Work is an essential ticket to free movement rights. But if the definition of work (incl how Member States test it) does not reflect the reality of the labour market, I argue that many Union Citizens become “Schrödinger’s’ worker”: they work but are not 'workers' when accessing rights. (3/10)

Free movement rules have been around for *nearly 70 years*. A LOT HAS CHANGED. The increase in precarious work (+ risks of under-employment and pay penalties), + the rise of in-work based welfare = more migrants occupy the dual space of market actors AND requiring access to welfare support. (2/10)

The author holding a copy of the book

Are the EU free movement rules wildly out of step with the new realities of work? My new book, the MARKET CITIZENSHIP ILLUSION answers this by looking at the law in action – and it is available now to *everyone for free*! www.bloomsburycollections.com/monograph?do...
🧵on key arguments... (1/10)

Pirates of the Mediterranean meet judges of the Kirchberg: the CJEU rules on Malta’s investor citizenship law Steve Peers , Professor of Law, Royal Holloway University of London* Photo credit : Aldo Ardetti, via Wikimedia Commons *Thanks to Jus...

Blogged
Pirates of the Mediterranean
The CJEU rules against Malta's investor citizenship law - my analysis: eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2025/04/pira...

Thank you! I've been told that it should be on bloomsburycollections.com by the end of April

Screenshot of title and abstract of journal article. Title is 'The professional diversity deficit: the UK Supreme Court’s social security law blind spot'. Abstract is: 'It is no secret that the UK Supreme Court lacks demographic diversity. But there is very little commentary on a different diversity gap—that of professional experience. UK Supreme Court judges are typically drawn from lucrative areas of legal practice, creating a pronounced professional practice gap in the realm of social security law. None of the sitting Supreme Court judges have ever acted in a reported security case for social security claimants against the State. This creates a problem of perspective; would we really expect a panel of Goliath advocates to give David a fair hearing? This article highlights the hitherto under-explored evidence of a professional deficit on the Court, and argues that this cannot help but have an influence upon judicial perspectives. One such possible influence is the “alegalisation” of social security law—the treatment of it as not-law but as a matter of pure politics. Here, the article analyses how the line is drawn in key cases, in which it seems the Court feels responsible for defending some “pure law” human rights, while defending the courtroom from other human rights claims—those relating to social security. But poverty is a human rights issue, and human rights are (still) a matter of law. We need to bring social security expertise and claimant perspectives to the bench if we are to reassert the legal nature of social security rights.'

How many UK Supreme Court judges do you think ever acted as lawyers for a claimant in a social security case? ZERO. *Extremely nervous* to announce this rather bolshy ('somewhat contentious' and 'robust in tone') piece in the JSSL. I argue there is a 'professional diversity deficit' in UKSC, AND...

Yeeeesssssss!

Noooooooooo?!?!?! 😵😵😵

The Market Citizenship Illusion This open access book challenges the existing focus in EU citizenship scholarship which tends to look only at the economically active. Arguing that the delibera…

The book comes out in April 2025 and I'm delighted that it's open access!

But if you prefer to turn physical pages you can pre-order it now: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/market-ci...

I'm so excited to share the cover of my upcoming book with Hart. The Market Citizenship Illusion!

It examines real experiences of EU migrant atypical workers and the outdated definition of economic activity to question if EU citizenship truly aims to protect those with market credentials.

YouTube video by ESRC Social Securing the rights of EU nationals post Brexit | ESRC Celebrating Impact Prize 2024

Bluesky inaugural post!!

The team who put this lovely video together about our work at the EU Rights & Brexit Hub have worked wonders, and such an honour to have comments from Ellie Sibley at the AIRE Centre - thank you!

youtu.be/EaYpCmVPNy8?...

Well this certainly helps getting set up! Thank you!