Andy Burnham is right about one thing: safe routes are part of the solution. For years, we've heard governments promise that tougher enforcement alone would stop dangerous Channel crossings. It hasn't.

Congratulations to @bevcraig.bsky.social on becoming the new Mayor of Greater Manchester. Being Mayor is an opportunity to bring positive change to the region “for us”, using the very motto at the heart of her campaign. We hope that “for us” means all of us, regardless of their immigration status.

‼️We have until 6 August to object to the expansion of immigration detention. 📣 Social workers, we work for human rights & social justice. Stand up for human rights today by opposing immigration detention! Check out @right-to-remain.bsky.social template letters to help you write your objection. 1/

Right to Remain@right-to-remain.bsky.social · 6d ago

🚨Did you know that the Home Office planning to add 1,000 extra bed spaces to the UK's immigration detention estate? Here is your chance to say no to this. Object to the Haslar Detention Centre expansion plan by 6 August. Template on how to do this below ⬇️ righttoremain.org.uk/to-end-deten...

🗣️"From widespread racist violence, to attacks on places of worship and burning down homes and businesses of people of colour, our new Prime Minister is inheriting a country which is ripping at the seams." Urgent change is needed NOW ⬇️

Runnymede Trust@runnymedetrust.bsky.social · 6d ago

Tackling racism will benefit us all, from fairer institutions, to more equitable wealth distribution, creating healthy communities where everyone has the ability to prosper. Read the full open letter on our website 🔗

AI cannot account for how trauma, malnutrition & exhaustion affect young people fleeing conflict. AI can replicate human errors & racial bias. The result? Children can be placed in adult accommodation, detention or prison. They need protection, not more harm. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

AI tool will lead to more child refugees being treated as adults, charity warns

‘Racist bias’ overestimating ages in Home Office’s facial-recognition software will lead to solo children being housed with adults, says Human Rights Network

theguardian.com

75 years ago, the world made a promise. The Refugee Convention was created in the aftermath of war to ensure that people fleeing persecution could find protection, safety, and dignity. For 75 years, it has saved lives across the world. Today, this promise is under attack. 1/3

Thank you so much to our amazing speakers from @gmiau.bsky.social, @migrantsorganise.bsky.social, @right-to-remain.bsky.social @thesewallsmustfall.bsky.social, for sharing your expertise with everyone in the room! Read more about the event here: migrantdestitution.co.uk/our-event-na... 2/

Blocking the evacuation of dozens of women and children from Gaza is beyond cruel from the Home Office. Peoples lives are critically at risk. Families are being kept apart whilst being forced to face crippling uncertainty with devastating and potentially fatal consequences. Change is needed now.

Home Office blocking evacuation of dozens of women and children from Gaza

Refugee family reunions in limbo, despite Foreign Office saying it is ready get people out of war-torn territory

theguardian.com

We’re proud to have signed this open letter to Andy Burnham alongside 200+ refugee orgs, presenting a blueprint for a new approach to asylum in the UK, based in working rights, safe routes, community accommodation and ‘evidenced-based policy making’. You can take action too - see the thread below 👇

200 refugee charities call for end of asylum 'gimmicks' in letter to Burnham

EXCLUSIVE: More than 200 charities have called on Andy Burnham to tear up large parts of Shabana Mahmood's asylum plans - including a £10,000 'refugee tax' and the use of military sites

mirror.co.uk

Asylum Matters@asylummatters.bsky.social · last wk.

Hostility isn't working - and everyone can see it. Government after Government has tried making the asylum system crueller, and left it more broken than ever. But there's a better way. With 200+ refugee orgs, we've sent Andy Burnham a blueprint for a system based in both evidence and welcome.

Sending solidarity and strength as Eve and Jake take on a huge challenge in memory of Dr Pious Nyandoro, a respected life long community organiser, mentor, educator and migrant justice campaigner💚 www.justgiving.com/page/5-marat...

ASSIST Sheffield 🧡@assistsheffield.bsky.social · 2w ago

Meet the #5MarathonsIn5Days Walkers🚶🏻‍♀️🚶🏼 With 1 week to go, they're preparing to hike 5 marathons, tracing a giant heart around the Peak District. 130 miles and 5,500m+ of climbing (almost the same as Mount Kilimanjaro!) ⛰️ So add 28 Jul to 1 Aug to your diary and follow the challenge as it unfolds.

It's right that ending homelessness is a priority. But that commitment must extend to migrants, including people seeking safety, who are too often pushed into homelessness by asylum & immigration systems. We see this daily through our work. It's time for change. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Burnham pledges to end rough sleeping in England in first speech as prime minister

Additional £340m over three years allocated to get people off the streets ‘at the earliest opportunity’

theguardian.com

Andy Burnham promised care "at the heart of everything I do." Keeping Shabana Mahmood as Home Secretary leaves families wondering if that includes them. Are bi-national families seen as people — or just an immigration issue? Read more: reunitefamiliesuk.co.uk/a-promise-is...

We're proud to have signed this joint letter to the new PM, Andy Burnham, calling on him to make 5 critical commitments to protect migrant workers' rights. This includes scrapping the cruel and racist earned settlement proposals and guaranteeing settlement for everyone after no more than 5 years 👏⬇️

Work Rights Centre@workrights.bsky.social · 2w ago

Alongside 50 other organisations including national trade unions, we have written to the new PM Andy Burnham asking him to scrap the "earned" settlement proposals and meet with migrant workers asap. Read our letter in full: drive.google.com/file/d/1yb4A...

We're delivering free training for social workers, PA’s and IRO’s in GM on routes to citizenship or immigration status for children in care. This is part of our work helping local authorities to identify and support all children in care to leave care with the strongest immigration status available.👇

GMIAU children in care- citizenship and immigration training

Training for social workers supporting children with citizenship applications, and immigration applications under annex FM in GM.

eventbrite.co.uk

It was disappointing to see Andy Burnham back the new Immigration and Asylum Bill. If he is serious about doing politics differently, he should have followed the example of the 14 Labour MPs who voted against it, knowing that the consequences of this Bill will only prolong hardship and suffering.

You cannot demand integration while building an asylum system on insecurity

Burnham’s vote for immigration reforms was worrying – his government must not push ahead with inherited asylum plans

opendemocracy.net

Given Burnham's priorities - please see our explainer below on how migrants are made homeless by the immigration system itself. Looking forward to working with the new govt. on this.

Praxis, for migrants and refugees@praxisprojects.bsky.social · 2w ago

In his first speech as Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged to end rough sleeping in this country. If he wants to end rough sleeping, he must scrap the hostile immigration rules that push people onto the streets. Here's why 👇

Congratulations to Andy Burnham as he steps into the role of Prime Minister, promising a "different type of politics." We hope this means an end to policies that entrench hardship, and to the rhetoric from politicians and the media that fuels division and stokes hatred.

Andy Burnham becomes UK prime minister after meeting King Charles

New Labour leader takes over from Keir Starmer and will head to Downing Street to appoint his cabinet

theguardian.com

Where are we now on earned settlement? - With Starmer resigning and Burnham preparing to take the reins, a change of leadership is a chance to change direction. - 200,000 ppl responded to the public consultation on earned settlement, and 500 travelled to Parliament in March to lobby their MPs.

Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)@gmiau.bsky.social · 3w ago

The government is under pressure. There’s still time to stop “earned settlement”. Write to your MP today to ask them to speak up for our communities. To find out how to use this digital postcard or write to your MP another way, read our blog: gmiau.org/write-to-you...

The government is under pressure. There’s still time to stop “earned settlement”. Write to your MP today to ask them to speak up for our communities. To find out how to use this digital postcard or write to your MP another way, read our blog: gmiau.org/write-to-you...

We're proud to have signed this open letter alongside 40+ orgs calling on the Home Secretary to end the govt's inhumane treatment of people seeking asylum, including housing people in "prison-like" accommodation on former military sites while denying access to legal advice and basic necessities👇

Team GMIAU at Manchester Legal Walk 2026! 👣 A huge thank you to everyone who generously donated and helped make this year such a success 👏 . It was great to come together to raise money for The Access to Justice Foundation at a time when the demand for free legal advice has never been greater.

Last month the Greater Manchester Asylum Hotels Group hosted a brilliant event to launch their vision for how people should be housed whilst waiting for a asylum decision. 🔗 Murshed, a member of the group has written a powerful account of the inspiring evening.. read here: gmiau.org/this-event-w...

#InternationalDayofHope2026 🧵At GMIAU, we often hear from clients and people whom we have helped how we give them hope. Not only hope about their cases, but hope for the future; the hope of living safely and securely, and the hope of building a life with confidence and ambition.

This story also shows what campaigners and researchers on asylum policy already know: the government puts people seeking asylum in substandard accommodation, gives them rotting food, and then calls them ungrateful (and arrests them) when they take any steps to try to better their circumstances.

sasha baker@sasha98.bsky.social · 4w ago

EXCLUSIVE: How one racist tweet about a hotel housing asylum seekers set in motion fascist protests, a government crackdown on couriers, and the eviction of the hotel's residents. www.vashtimedia.com/fascists-v-t...

Greater Manchester Asylum Hotels Group feature in this powerful article that highlights the reality of being moved around by the Home Office, from losing community connections to the anxiety caused by unstable accommodation Behind every move is a person whose life is being disrupted all over again👇

I met the asylum seekers being moved out of Home Office hotels - this is what I learned

Cramped conditions, unhealthy frozen food, and no space for children to play. These properties are not the all-inclusive resorts many think

inews.co.uk

Last week, the government published the Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026. Our latest blog post breaks down the proposals in the Bill in detail, explains what this means in practice for the people we support, and shares what we think about them: gmiau.org/immigration-...

The Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026  - GMIAU

This blog explains what was outlined in the government's immigration and asylum bill, and what this means in practice.

gmiau.org

Anti-slavery charities warn that the new Immigration and Asylum Bill will damage modern slavery protections as the Bill prioritises immigration control over safeguarding survivors of a serious crime. Read our full statement here: www.atleu.org.uk/cases-news/t...

You cannot address human trafficking without supporting & protecting survivors. The government's new Immigration & Asylum Bill does the opposite. A system that punishes survivors doesn't fight trafficking but enables it. We will keep fighting this. 📑 more: www.helenbamber.org/resources/la...

The Manchester Legal Walk was postponed to the 9th of July. So, one week today, we will join over 400 others in raising funds for the Access to Justice Foundation. ⭐Please do consider donating to allow us and many others to continue providing free advice at a time when our services are most needed:

Greater Manchester's fundraiser for The Access to Justice Foundation

Help Greater Manchester Pro Bono Committee raise money to support The Access to Justice Foundation

justgiving.com

Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)@gmiau.bsky.social · 2mo ago

On 25 June 2026, team GMIAU are taking part in the Manchester Legal Walk to raise funds for the Access to Justice Foundation - the only funder solely dedicated to increasing the availability of free legal support, advice and representation across the UK 🚶‍♀️ . ⬇️⬇️⬇️ www.justgiving.com/page/manches...

🧵 Another year, another Bill demonising people seeking safety and making their lives harder. Years of hostile legislation have done nothing to stop rising racism and misinformation, or to help people claim asylum safely and move on with their lives positively. When will we see a new approach?

Mahmood: My reforms will save the asylum system for a generation

New safe and legal refugee routes, alongside reforms to human rights and modern slavery laws, to prevent abuse of the asylum system.

gov.uk