‘Can Burnham find a new balance on immigration?’ New @sundersays.bsky.social column for @easterneye.bsky.social www.easterneye.biz/andy-burnham...

Can Burnham find a new balance on immigration?

'Fair rules should protect more than just care workers'

easterneye.biz

Andy Burnham was challenged to say more about immigration. His words on carer & settlement + in Dover on borders & safe routes reveal his balancer instincts: for fair rules with gratitude for migrant contribution, for control + compassion. My Eastern Eye column www.easterneye.biz/andy-burnham...

Can Burnham find a new balance on immigration?

'Fair rules should protect more than just care workers'

easterneye.biz

Conservatives challenged for selecting a man who formed a far right group + was jailed for serious antisemitic harassment of former MP Luciana Berger.Badenoch says he has reformed sufficiently to have a local candidacy, but should not have a national platform www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/kemi-b...

Kemi Badenoch Says Former Neo-Nazi Standing For Tories Can Be A Councillor But Not An MP

The Conservative leader said she would not want to give Joshua Bonehill-Paine “a national platform”.

huffingtonpost.co.uk

I know we attribute a lot of wrong to social media but I’m pretty sure there was once a time when someone apologising was grounds to sheathe your weapons, not stick the boot in.

Ben Goldacre@bengoldacre.bsky.social · yesterday

Apologies: I’m not online much, I haven't paid any attention to Rod Liddle for a long time, I didn't really know his extremes. I do now: I wouldn’t have posted if I'd known. I’ve seen death of difficult people up close (and its impact on others): that’s the only reason it was on my mind as an issue.

If you met someone who had fallen out of love with reading, and you had one shot at getting them back into it, what book would you give them? For a thing.

The High Court also heard RTC leader Ben Cullen had threatened physical violence to a resident removing flags, boasting that he was a “violent criminal” who had served 15 years in prison. Full report in today’s Clarion: oxfordclarion.uk/the-clarion-...

The Clarion, 4 August 2026

We're doing a rain dance. You? While we wait for some sorely needed water, here is some news, not all of it cheerful. Including less than savoury details about Raise the Colours; celebrating Oxford Ci...

oxfordclarion.uk

66 seems a young age for Rod Liddle to die. Talented comic writer, insightful about football.obvs took much pleasure in transgressing political correctness But just lied when caught being much more indefensibly racist+ sexist online in his Millwallmonkey persona www.theguardian.com/media/2026/a...

Sunday Times and Sun columnist Rod Liddle dies aged 66

Tributes paid across industry to provocative journalist who died after short illness

theguardian.com

Reform had seemed to be moving away from "invade French waters without pernission A risible 'come & have a go if you think you are hard enough' (Likely to end in humiliating crisis by triggering suspension of justice & home affairs + trade cooperation Tim M noted it was daft 18 months ago

Count Binface electoral history. Best % for Westminster contest is 0.6% though got 1% for London Mayor. Clacton is an esp crowded field of minor candidates - but the Farage factor will probably get him his first saved deposit. Good chance of second place.

"Kew Gardens has had a weather station since 1871. This July was, based on third party analysis of Met Office data collected at the site, the first calendar month on record where no rainfall was measured at Kew."

London's first month without rain

Plus: There's nowhere to bury the dead • London wants to keep its money • When will it stop being so damn hot • Who is to blame for turning off the air conditioning in the tower block?

londoncentric.media

The Labour party has been politically stuck on immigration. That has to change – here’s how the new PM can break out of the trap ✏️ @sundersays.bsky.social

Next year, Britain will experience emigration. What can Burnham do about it?

The Labour party has been politically stuck on immigration. That has to change – here’s how the new PM can break out of the trap

thenewworld.co.uk

Spoke to NYT about the politics of migration and asylum in Europe www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/w...

Europe’s Far Right, Once Marginal, Now Sets Tone on Spain Migrant Crisis (Gift Article)

Europe sheltered many refugees in 2015. Its hard-line reaction to a new crisis in Ceuta shows how, 11 years on, the far right has reshaped European attitudes.

nytimes.com

Good BBC piece by Sarah Rainsford on what we do & don't know about the causes and consequences of the flashpoint crisis in Ceuta She opens with the 72 deaths: a death toll of this scale has been largely treated as an incidental detail in a news event + political clash www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

How Spain's migrant crisis created a political storm - whipped up by social media

The Ceuta crossings have shaken Europe politically, exposing divisions over the sensitive issue of migration, the BBC's Sarah Rainsford writes.

bbc.co.uk

Five-year-old Stuart Broad walks across the Trent Bridge outfield with his father, England and Nottinghamshire opener Chris Broad before a county game in the summer of 1991

"People want to see this issue addressed," Prime Minister Andy Burnham said in Dover, adding: "We also need to build a system that offers safe routes for people as well, because that also takes away the selling point of the gangs." www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Burnham pledges to be 'relentless' in curbing small boat crossings

The prime minister says enforcement is increased but there also need to be more safe routes into the UK.

bbc.co.uk

This piece was published Sat afternoon. It could win awards for incoherence. Its big point is the EU Commission had no interest in stopping these people going into Europe By the time it was published it was clear none had done so www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

Ceuta is what happens when you’re not serious about migration

Ursula von der Leyen doesn’t seem to care about the tide of people rushing the Spanish border. Voters in Britain will

thetimes.com

Especially when people are being escorted over a land border to a territory with which you have an arrangement. Will Yusuf eventually work out that Dover isn't like that?

It’d be hard to ‘make immigration non-justiciable’ without breaching the ECnHR. But these comments do highlight that the ECnHR isn’t the main obstacle. They’d need to go much further than that. bsky.app/profile/sund...

Sunder Katwala (sundersays)@sundersays.bsky.social · 3d ago

"Its a good question", says Yusuf. "Can it be done without leaving the ECHR? Possibly" - cf Italy, Spain, France, Denmark. He would take no chances, repeal all laws, "make immigration non-justiciable" + then 'deploy our resources'. [Removals to where remains unanswered] x.com/GBNEWS/statu...

Rupert Lowe pitches a deal from Restore to Farage's Reform. His conditions are full adoption of Restore's policies on mass deportations" including "millions must go" slogan on legal migrants + his policies on Islam + a referendum on death penalty + the ditching of Rupert Jenrick & Suella Braverman

Opinium poll suggests public will give Burnham & Labour "a second chance at a first impression" He starts +16, quite similar to Starmer +19 first PM rating. May had stronger initial position, +31 and Boris Johnson a weaker one +6. Sunak was -2 after replacing Truss

Talking on Times Radio to Ayesha Hazarika and others in a couple of minutes about migration - including in Ceuta, Europe and Britain

Infantino of FIFA under vocal pressure to quit soon, after ditching his £ plans to try to survive. He may try to mobilise smaller associations in his defence. Trump's suggestion he should be UN Secretary General (July 21st) has been largely forgotten! nypost.com/2026/07/21/u...

Exclusive | Trump wants FIFA boss Gianni Infantino for UN secretary-general following World Cup

President Trump wants FIFA President Gianni Infantino to be the next secretary-general of the United Nations, The Post has learned.

nypost.com

We may see an increase in August on the v low public prioritisation of climate. (The July issues index was 1st-8th July fieldwork)

22 EU leaders note there was no onward movenent to Spain or the EU but worry about the perception & want an emergemcy meeting. This is an initiative of Italy & Denmark, which most support. But Portugal & France did not support or sign this letter.

Jorge Liboreiro@jorgeliboreiro.bsky.social · 4d ago

Just in: 22 EU leaders send a joint letter in response to the migratory crisis in Ceuta. "We cannot allow uncontrolled mass crossings, the instrumentalisation of migration or other hybrid threats to create the perception that illegal entry into the European Union is possible."

Von der Leyen gives update on Ceuta crisis: - She confirms "not a single person reached mainland Spain or the rest of the EU" - She says "lessons learned" are needed to strengthen the common border system - She urges "solidarity and a united European response" to stop irregular migration

Ursula von der Leyen@vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu · 4d ago

I held a conference call with Commissioners @magnusbrunner.bsky.social and Dubravka Šuica for an update on the situation in Ceuta. The good news is that the vast majority of those who arrived illegally have returned to Morocco, due to the effective work of Spanish and Moroccan law enforcement.

Saddened to hear of the tragic death of Nirmal Purja. Nims was a much-loved member of the Eastleigh Nepalese community and my thoughts are with his family and everyone who knew him. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Mountaineer Nirmal Purja killed in Pakistan avalanche, his company says

The Nepali-born climber was known for scaling the world's 14 highest peaks in just over six months in 2019.

bbc.co.uk

Skeleton Manifesto would be a great band name

Mark Chadbourn@chadbourn.bsky.social · 4d ago

Reform is drawing up a “skeleton manifesto” (as it essentially has no policies beyond immigration) and “speeding up candidate selection” in case there’s an early election. What could possibly go wrong?

Greater Manc second preferences Labour got 58k transfers (65k Greens, 15k LD, some Cons) Reform got 45k transfers (Up to half of the 46k Restore, 41k Tory votes, a handful of others) 66k exhausted votes [No 2nd pref, or an eliminated 2nd]

UEFA going for the jugular. "The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family." Translation: UEFA will back a opponent to Infantino in the Fifa presidential election on 18 March 2027. Montagliani?

The official website for European football

UEFA.com is the official site of UEFA, the Union of European Football Associations, and the governing body of football in Europe. UEFA works to promote, protect and develop European football across it...

uefa.com

Restore got 9% in Greater Manchester, rising to 12% in Oldham, 12% in Rochdale and 14% in Tameside. Candidate Marlon West put grooming gangs at the centre of his campaign. His daughter was a grooming gang victim. Here is his main leaflet electionleaflets.org/leaflets/242...