The tragic awfulness of this government is that it has extended a factional war against the left of the Labour Party into a war against almost all the good things we might have expected of it. It cannot respond to the crisis it faces, because its hatred of the Labour left is definitional.

Starmer: “If you don’t like our policies you can leave.” Voters:

A reflection from the leader of a migration charity. We have been told over and over again by politicians - even from “partners” and “allies” that we will not win on our policies unless we concede. Throw some migrants under the bus - they’re too unfavourable. Public doesn’t agree with us.

Sky News hearing Labour canvassers found that doubling (and tripling) the route to settlement has caused significant concern with those directly affected (Commonwealth migrants who have arrived in last 3 years) Sheer scale of changes not yet on the general media radar, though MPs hearing a lot

Bad news for Starmer- union ally Christina Mcanea loses Unison General Secretary election. Replaced by Andrea Egan, who ran from the left, and has promised to review Unison's relationship with Labour. www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Andrea Egan Wins Unison Race In Blow For No 10

Keir Starmer critic Andrea Egan has won the race to be general secretary of Unison, Britain's biggest trade union and a key Labour Party affiliate,...

politicshome.com

Good news! Alan Milburn 67 year old career politician will review inactivity among young people. With the help of Charlie Mayfield (58), Andy Haldane (58) and Dame Casey (60). Sounds great, no notes. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Alan Milburn launches major UK review into rising inactivity among young people

Report to highlight ‘uncomfortable truths’ and could recommend ‘radical change’, former health secretary says

theguardian.com

Sarcastic response is obviously "Merry Christmas from the Home Office" More professional response is that, for this government's increased immigration raids in general, statistically they are targeting victims of trafficking more than the people doing the trafficking. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Illegal workers arrested in Surrey Christmas market raid

Eleven men are

bbc.co.uk

Huge well done to Jed and team, outrageous that this application was ever refused on good character grounds because of illegal entry. Many will be in the same or similar situation and unable to bring such a challenge. The guidance needs to change.

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 8mo ago

Woman who fled rape and torture in DRC wins UK citizenship case after Home Office U-turn

Innocent people end up in our criminal courts. Completely, terrifyingly innocent. And all that stands between them and losing everything is a fair trial. Politicians would do well to remember this when they tell us that justice is all about processing “criminals” swiftly.

Big jump in outstanding asylum appeals - nearly 70,000 waiting to be heard at the end of September. More than the initial decisions backlog. 60 weeks the average time to disposal. 37% of disposals now due to withdrawals - presumably as the Home Office realises how bad the decisions were.

Nearly every Take relating to this has been done except one, which is - why would the European leaders take advice from Starmer on how to beat the far right? Who among them envies his popularity or admires the sagacity of his advisors? www.theguardian.com/law/2025/dec...

Starmer urges Europe’s leaders to curb ECHR to halt rise of far right

Exclusive: PM calls for members of European convention on human rights to allow tougher action to protect borders

theguardian.com

I can’t help thinking that when, in future, people ask what UK political leaders said as it became undeniable that US saw European liberal democracy as its no1 strategic foe, Starmer and others will regret that the answer is “not much, shuffled awkwardly, looked at their feet”.

Reminder that the ECHR prevents people being expelled to face torture, inhuman treatment, slavery or death, and prevents splitting of families unless there's a strong enough public interest. European leaders are evidently comfortable with at least some of those things, at least for foreigners.

European leaders back ECHR plan to tackle illegal migration

Countries in treaty - including the UK - will negotiate a "political declaration" to make it easier to deport migrants.

bbc.com

"If growth was actually your priority, you would not be doing this." (Me, stating the obvious) www.ft.com/content/2b60...

Tighter visa rules will cost UK up to £10.8bn

Home Office assessment shows impact of latest changes to immigration regime over next five years

ft.com

Ah, he has no co-written a piece with the Danish PM who is a milquetoast centrist overseeing some of the toughest immigration rules in Europe and is coincidentally losing ground to the far right and a rapid rate...

Jamie Fookes@jrfookes.bsky.social · 8mo ago

"See off the far right" by giving the fascists what they want, emboldening them and laying the ground work for them to commit vile human rights abuses more quickly and with less checks is the most brain rot desperate nonsense ever uttered by a PM www.theguardian.com/law/2025/dec...

"See off the far right" by giving the fascists what they want, emboldening them and laying the ground work for them to commit vile human rights abuses more quickly and with less checks is the most brain rot desperate nonsense ever uttered by a PM www.theguardian.com/law/2025/dec...

Starmer urges Europe’s leaders to curb ECHR to halt rise of far right

Exclusive: PM calls for members of European convention on human rights to allow tougher action to protect borders

theguardian.com

The more you read this more insane it is. Deranged, paternalistic scientifically illiterate bile from a bigot who got elevated way above their station.

Jamie Fookes@jrfookes.bsky.social · 8mo ago

This is such an extreme and deeply segregationist view to hold it should completely discredit her from her position. Stating that a group, clearly protected in the spirit and word of the equality act, where tricked into 'thinking they have rights" is unforgivable she must resign

This is such an extreme and deeply segregationist view to hold it should completely discredit her from her position. Stating that a group, clearly protected in the spirit and word of the equality act, where tricked into 'thinking they have rights" is unforgivable she must resign

This is such an extreme and deeply segregationist view to hold it should completely discredit her from her position. Stating that a group, clearly protected in the spirit and word of the equality act, where tricked into 'thinking they have rights" is unforgivable she must resign

🔴I spent time getting to know the Pink Ladies, a group of 'ordinary mothers' who are funded by Restore Britain's Rupert Lowe and whose leader shared a stage with a prominent neo-Nazi. It was...eye-opening. bylinetimes.com/2025/12/05/t...

The 'Pink Ladies' Laundering Anti-Migrant Views Into the Mainstream

An anti-migrant movement backed by Reform and Conservative politicians and regularly invited onto news channels is funded by a far-right group and has platformed a Neo-Nazi activist

bylinetimes.com

This is the guy who gave Boris Johnson £1 million and then won a big MoD contract....

Captain Haddock@realcaptainhaddock.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Reform gets largest ever political donation by an individual in UK history from a crypto baron living in Thailand This is not normal www.ft.com/content/db73...

Extremely grim consequence of Home Sec announcement of penalising claiming benefits claims in routes to settlement: a low-paid carer cancelling housing benefit, universal credit, and disability allowance for her autistic daughter’s personal care and mobility www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

UK immigration status fears prompt carer to cancel benefits she is entitled to

Woman cancels all benefits including disability living allowance for daughter after policy change announcement

theguardian.com

🔴 The government's latest plans will push an already failing asylum system to new extremes of harm. The uncertainty, fear & instability the proposed changes create will only deepen the trauma faced by refugees & people seeking safety. Read our full statement ➡️ tinyurl.com/mphbj2m3

This puts those families and children at a major economic and social disadvantage. Why? To stop some coming in future? To force them to leave? No evidence either will happen. They will still come and they will still settle, but after years of scrimping compared to other families.

Ilona Pinter@ilonapin.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Yes: we'd calculated that a single parent with 2 kids who started their settlement journey in 2017 would pay >£27k in fees & IHS over 10yrs to settle (w/o citizenship & pre-2025⬆️). Now >£54k for 20yrs if they'd ever claimed benefits for >12mnths - £225/month extra in essential HH costs over 20yrs.

Yes: we'd calculated that a single parent with 2 kids who started their settlement journey in 2017 would pay >£27k in fees & IHS over 10yrs to settle (w/o citizenship & pre-2025⬆️). Now >£54k for 20yrs if they'd ever claimed benefits for >12mnths - £225/month extra in essential HH costs over 20yrs.

Colin Yeo@colinyeo.bsky.social · 8mo ago

This is a massive problem with Labour’s immigration proposals. All migrant families affected will be made considerably poorer (because of extra immigration fees over several years plus dampened job prospects) and many (most?) of those families have children.

‘Remigration’ is a term that comes out of the European far right. Its use by the DHS account is a sign of democratic and epistemic collapse

Trial by jury is now “gaming the system” why are you clapping for fascism Pippa? And also you mean DEFENDANTS.

Pippa Crerar@pippacrerar.bsky.social · 8mo ago

It comes after our @jessicaelgot.bsky.social revealed that criminals will be stopped from “gaming the system” by choosing trial by jury to increase chances of proceedings collapsing - and that govt was planning radical changes to limit jury trials by next election.