Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #BordersBill
Most recents (24)
1/. “I’m not really bumbling. I’m as hard as nails”
In this interview, #BorisJohnson shows that the “bumbling Boris” character is just that: a character
“My approach to politics & human nature is that you can make a good case for anything” #BorisResigns
In this interview, #BorisJohnson shows that the “bumbling Boris” character is just that: a character
“My approach to politics & human nature is that you can make a good case for anything” #BorisResigns
2/. “#BorisJohnson put on a buffoon mask to become a celebrity, & now he can’t take it off.”
(J Lanchester)
“He seems to know that if we’re chuckling at him, we’re not likely to be thinking hard about his agenda, or doing anything to counter it.”
(J Coe)
(J Lanchester)
“He seems to know that if we’re chuckling at him, we’re not likely to be thinking hard about his agenda, or doing anything to counter it.”
(J Coe)
3/. In 2020, I dug up #BorisJohnso’s #TakeItOnTheChin
I also found the smoking gun of the #HerdImmunityScandal - the #GreenwichSpeech
“There’s a risk new diseases such as #coronavirus could trigger a panic that goes beyond what is medically rational”
I also found the smoking gun of the #HerdImmunityScandal - the #GreenwichSpeech
“There’s a risk new diseases such as #coronavirus could trigger a panic that goes beyond what is medically rational”
Thinking on #PolicingAct & chilling effect on democratic right to protest. Here’s a 🧵 of some MFJ demos/marches only from past 2yrs - we never asked ‘permission’, we never informed police. Now we could be prosecuted. This one is recently at Colnbrook detention centre (1/20)
Here we marched from brixton to Home Office via Serco & G4S offices -- it was a powerful, vibrant, important march led by asylum seekers, refugees & undocumented many who came to UK on promise of freedom, democracy/equality. #PolicingAct makes mockery of those principles (2/20)
Here outside the Rwandan High Commission protesting inhuman Refugee Trafficking deal. This was after passage of #PolicingAct . How many people will think twice before organising such a protest because of this Act? We can’t let them make us afraid, we must keep fighting! (3/20)
THREAD (1/7) This year’s Parliamentary Session ended on Thursday 28th April, meaning Parliament won’t meet again until the after the new year starts on 10th May. The Govt pushed through a number of laws before the year ends which have concerning implications for human rights. 
(2/7) Martha of @libertyhq discussed how these laws relate to #HumanRightsActReform at our recent Ask the Experts event: bit.ly/3OL1Mmg. But it’s also important to see how campaigning + public pressure helped reduce some of the most harmful measures in these laws.
(3/7) The Elections Bill: Following campaigning from the @RNIB about the disproportionate impact on disabled people, the Lords inserted a clause requiring the Electoral Commission to consult on its guidance with groups representing the interests of people affected.
In regards to the #AntiRefugeeBill, I get and understand the arguments for meeting halfway, but the world doesn't work like that. This isn't a bill which you can just tweak. It needs totally scrapping. No amount of tweaks will make it safe or humane. 1/
Is that risky, professionally speaking I would say yes, but it is also necessary. Even if all of the Lords amendments get reinstated and passed the bill is still fundamentally damaging not only to refugees, but also child protection, among other things. 2/
Sometimes compromise is good. Sometimes it is necessary and sometimes it is just enabling inhumanity on the basis it isn't "quite as bad as it was". That argument doesn't help those whose lives are destroyed by how bad it is though. 3/
The #NationalityAndBordersBill is back in the @UKHouseofLords. The Lords have to retain their previous stance and replace the amendments the commons stripped out. This bill is illegal and inhumane. It will only increase risks to refugees.
parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/76…
parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/76…
I have a lot of respect for Lord Paddick, but "no-one in their right mind would push back a dinghy" is not a strong enough safeguard against proposed pushbacks to warrant not standing against this policy.
A reminder that the #AntiRefugeeBill, if it becomes law, isn't just down to what this government would do, but what the next and the next. It is never enough in legislation to just say "we won't do that", because even if you won't the next government might.
[1/8]
#NationalityAndBordersBill #SOC
Please keep in mind the #BordersBill is back in parliament on Monday, and they’re due to vote on this…
THREAD:
Has the Ukraine crisis transformed Britain’s approach to refugees?
#NationalityAndBordersBill #SOC
Please keep in mind the #BordersBill is back in parliament on Monday, and they’re due to vote on this…
THREAD:
Has the Ukraine crisis transformed Britain’s approach to refugees?
[2/8]
Considering this government won the last election based on their Brexit promise to “take back control” of our borders -
“One of this government’s central ideas is to be tough on immigration and asylum and next week it’ll bring back to
Considering this government won the last election based on their Brexit promise to “take back control” of our borders -
“One of this government’s central ideas is to be tough on immigration and asylum and next week it’ll bring back to
[3/8]
#NationalityAndBordersBill , but for now, it’s having to show that Britain is open to the people who need our help”
On one hand the government has been determined to hang on to a visa system which explains why they have been extremely sluggish in setting up their processes
#NationalityAndBordersBill , but for now, it’s having to show that Britain is open to the people who need our help”
On one hand the government has been determined to hang on to a visa system which explains why they have been extremely sluggish in setting up their processes
In the last 24 hours, 3 horrendous cases of institutional racism have come to light 🧵
A young Black schoolgirl, #ChildQ, was taken out of an exam to be strip searched - without any adult supervision from her guardians - on suspicion of possessing cannabis, which she did not.
She was then sent back into her exam, traumatised and shaken. theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/m…
She was then sent back into her exam, traumatised and shaken. theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/m…
A report from prestigious @RoySocChem today shows that racism is 'pervasive' in chemical sciences.
Robert Mokaya, the ONLY Black professor in 575 chemistry professors across the UK, has been rejected for research funding for 15 years. bbc.co.uk/news/science-e…
Robert Mokaya, the ONLY Black professor in 575 chemistry professors across the UK, has been rejected for research funding for 15 years. bbc.co.uk/news/science-e…
Thread: Refugees don't need visas. Under international refugee law they cannot be penalised for their manner of entry, which is just one way in which the government's proposals for #NationalityAndBordersBill would violate international law. It isn't so simple though. 1/ #r4today
You know all those stories you see about "small boat crossings"? The politicians and pundits who claim that anyone crossing the channel is an "economic migrant"? Yeah, now you see with the failure of the UK to support those fleeing the #UkraineRussianWar why it was never true. 2/
It doesn't matter where someone is fleeing, the basic reasons for trying to reach the UK remain the same, language and family/friendship ties. Most refugees do remain in their regions of origin, not always by choice, but some don't. 3/
.@YvetteCooperMP today asked @pritipatel if her visa policy would mean an elderly Ukrainian woman stuck at Gare du Nord could now join her daughter in the UK.
"Yes" replied the Home Secretary.
But she really meant "No".
Tonight's #WaughOnPolitics is out
inews.co.uk/opinion/priti-…
"Yes" replied the Home Secretary.
But she really meant "No".
Tonight's #WaughOnPolitics is out
inews.co.uk/opinion/priti-…
Powerful speech right now in the Lords from Lord Kerr as he fillets the Govt's #Bordersbill and its plans for a new two-tier asylum system that criminalises refugees.
"I refute the minister's contention in one word: Ukraine"
"I refute the minister's contention in one word: Ukraine"
Lord Kerr is withering on the Home Office rationale for its plans, says its interpretation of the UN Convention on Refugees is 'an invention'.
"The Convention sets only one test, not *how* the refugee got here, but *why*."
"The Convention sets only one test, not *how* the refugee got here, but *why*."
With the #AntiRefugeeBill now being debated in the @UKHouseofLords it's worth re-upping this thread. The #BordersBill does nothing to make the asylum system "fairer". It denies refugees their guaranteed rights under international law. It will only make things worse.
There is no question that the #NationalityAndBordersBill violates multiple international laws. This isn't just about abstract elements of law though. It is about humanity. This bill will criminalise some of the most vulnerable people in the world.
We are seeing the need for UK to provide asylum to Ukrainian citizens right now, and UK failing at this. This isn't new though. Syrians, Iraqis, Afghans, Eritreans, Yemenis, etc etc, people just trying to find a place they feel safe having lost everything, will be criminalised.
Priti Patel may bow to pressure to do more to help Ukrainians. But will the crisis shame the Govt into ditching its bigger plan to criminalise all other refugees?
inews.co.uk/opinion/priti-…
inews.co.uk/opinion/priti-…
Lords will vote later today to strip Clause 11 from the #BordersBill. Govt defeat likely as Tory peers and crossbenchers join forces.
But when it returns to MPs, will the Ukraine crisis force a rethink?
But when it returns to MPs, will the Ukraine crisis force a rethink?
The Immigration Minister deleted this but here's why it felt like a classic case of 'in tweeto veritas'
inews.co.uk/opinion/priti-…
inews.co.uk/opinion/priti-…
THREAD: With so much going on, partly to do with #Ukraine, but also related to the #NationalityandBordersBill, and no small amount of confusion and misinformation, I thought it may be helpful to do a thread explaining some bits and bobs. 1/
First off, the primary piece of legislation in international law governing refugee rights the the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, and it is fairly clear a refugee may not be penalised for their manner of entry into a state. 2/
unhcr.org/uk/3b66c2aa10
unhcr.org/uk/3b66c2aa10
In essence this means someone seeking asylum doesn't need a visa for the country they seek it in. Obviously things aren't so clear cut. Visas make it a lot easier to reach a country in the first place for one thing. Problem is they are hard to get when fleeing for your life. 3/
Be afraid, be VERY afraid. Today's #Expreshit JRM article: Supply Side Reforms
NHS privatisation, remove worker rights, bash unions further, reduce unemployment benefits EVEN FURTHER, deregulate the banks - they've already had a £1 BILLION tax cut, whilst the rest of us suffer..
NHS privatisation, remove worker rights, bash unions further, reduce unemployment benefits EVEN FURTHER, deregulate the banks - they've already had a £1 BILLION tax cut, whilst the rest of us suffer..
ELECTIONS BILL: VoterID disenfranchises MILLIONS of Labour voters, MILLIONS, let that sink in
BORDERS BILL this bill is grotesque
🚨NEW BLOG🚨
"Our right, not a privilege" - Citizenship and the Nationality and Borders Bill
We explained why we've taken part in the @IMIX_UK campaign to #SayNoToClause9 of the Bill.
Click here to read, and share the thread below gmiau.org/borders-bill-c…
"Our right, not a privilege" - Citizenship and the Nationality and Borders Bill
We explained why we've taken part in the @IMIX_UK campaign to #SayNoToClause9 of the Bill.
Click here to read, and share the thread below gmiau.org/borders-bill-c…
Clause 9 will make it possible for the Home Secretary to deprive people of citizenship *without notifying them*. This is the most recent sinister development in the ramping-up of the government's powers to deprive citizenship over the last 20 years.
Depriving someone of their citizenship strips them of their identity and rights, often in the only place they have ever called home. It's been described as “worse than torture”. Here @NosheenIqbal gives more background to the UK's use of these powers: theguardian.com/news/audio/202…
"It isn't about changing the refugee convention. It is about amending it" That is akin to someone being charged with breaking and entering claiming they were just "interpreting the law". The UK's #BordersBill clearly and unambiguously violates international law.
"interpreting" not "amending"
For many people changing the wording from "reasonable likelihood" to "balance of probability" may sound like semantics, but in reality makes it far more difficult for those fleeing persecution to be granted asylum by the nature of the higher burden of proof which will be required
Offshore detention doesn't "deter" asylum seekers. It does put them at risk and undermine the UK's obligations to international law. The mental and physical toll which it places on asylum seekers leaves lasting damage, as well as costing lives. #BordersBill
The "Australian model", and evidence supplied by the Australian High Commission, is not supported by the evidence seen on the ground. Offshoring is ineffective, costly and inhumane. More than all this though, it costs lives.
kaldorcentre.unsw.edu.au/publication/po…
kaldorcentre.unsw.edu.au/publication/po…
"Offshoring" asylum seekers would result in an effective denial of rights and would leave asylum seekers in limbo. More than that though, offshoring has been shown by its nature is not "temporary". It is a denial of status and an abhorrent attack against refugees.
The #BordersBill removing "for gain" in reasons for facilitating channel crossings isn't just about rescue operations. It means asylum seekers who steer boats can be prosecuted, even if they are not in anyway linked to a gang. It criminalises those seeking safety @UKHouseofLords.
Could someone please explain to Lord Green what population density means. Watching him trying to make out that the UK couldn't take more asylum seekers, despite taking substantially fewer, because it is "full" is just embarrassing.
Lord Griffiths making it clear that the two tier system for asylum seekers proposed in #AntiRefugeeBill would violate Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, basically the UK will be breaking international law and undermining a core principle of the global refugee regime.
THREAD: However @ukhomeoffice spins it, the inevitable outcome of the #BordersBill is that it undermines the international refugee regime. Not only does it violate multiple international laws, it will benefit the very gangs it's claimed to be tackling and put lives at risk. 1
Creating a two tier system for refugees is a clear violation of Article 31 of the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, which prevents the refugees being penalised for their manner of entry into a country. 2/
unhcr.org/uk/3b66c2aa10
unhcr.org/uk/3b66c2aa10
The government has tried to claim that it doesn't apply due to asylum seekers coming from France. There are so many issues with this that it is hard to start, but let's run through a couple of the big ones. 3/
Thread: One of, many, reasons I am so sick and tired of the people who say those crossing channel "can't be asylum seekers because they are young men* is that those young men, as well as deserving safety themselves, allow for others to seek asylum. 1/
theguardian.com/politics/2022/…
theguardian.com/politics/2022/…
Or at least that is the main idea. It can cost a phenomenal amount of money to cross multiple countries to find one you feel safe in, and no, before anyone claims otherwise, asylum seekers don't have to seek it in the "first safe country". 2/
In fact the whole concept of "first safe country" doesn't only not exist in law, it doesn't exist in commonsense. Not only may places which are safe for some people not be for others, but it would inevitably lead to all asylum seekers being in a handful of countries. 3/
1/8
Here’s @LetsStopC9 outside H.o.L on why we have to oppose the racist
#NationalityAndBordersBill
A RACIST PIECE OF LEGISLATION WHICH MUST BE OPPOSED!
#CitizenshipIsARight
@WritersofColour @SayeedaWarsi
@JolyonMaugham @natalieben
@GoodLawProject @GreenJennyJones
Here’s @LetsStopC9 outside H.o.L on why we have to oppose the racist
#NationalityAndBordersBill
A RACIST PIECE OF LEGISLATION WHICH MUST BE OPPOSED!
#CitizenshipIsARight
@WritersofColour @SayeedaWarsi
@JolyonMaugham @natalieben
@GoodLawProject @GreenJennyJones
2/8
‘It creates an arbitrary two-tier citizenship system that any civilised society should be ashamed of!
It demonises & criminalises Refugees and infringes their rights under the Refugee Convention.
Migration is a human right & no human is illegal.
‘It creates an arbitrary two-tier citizenship system that any civilised society should be ashamed of!
It demonises & criminalises Refugees and infringes their rights under the Refugee Convention.
Migration is a human right & no human is illegal.
3/8
It targets British people with Black and brown skin, British people from minority ethnic groups, and makes them vulnerable to losing their entire material lives.
But It doesn’t threaten white British citizens this way.
IF THIS ISN’T APARTHEID, THEN WHAT IS?
It targets British people with Black and brown skin, British people from minority ethnic groups, and makes them vulnerable to losing their entire material lives.
But It doesn’t threaten white British citizens this way.
IF THIS ISN’T APARTHEID, THEN WHAT IS?
In court, the judge expressed dismay at Mercy Muroki’s opinion piece: “I am struggling to see how, as in GB News’ charter, that this article is ‘respectful’ or ‘sets an example by treating others in a way that they would wish to be treated’.”
#Colston4
theguardian.com/media/2022/jan…
#Colston4
theguardian.com/media/2022/jan…
GB "News" was accused of prejudicing the trial of the #Colston4 after publishing opinion pieces criticising defendants midway through court proceedings. A Mercy Muroki piece was titled “I’m in favour of white people calling out racism… but the Colston saga reeks of white guilt”.
Muroki commented on the ongoing trial, suggesting Bristol council & local police might have colluded with a “bunch of anarchic protesters”: “I don’t need a bunch of white hippies crippled by white guilt to throw a largely irrelevant statue in a river to prove they’re not racist.”
The government has responded to the petition to repeal Clause 9 of the #BordersBill, which has topped 314k signatures.
Thread 🧵
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/6015…
Thread 🧵
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/6015…
Government: "Deprivation on ‘conducive to the public good’ grounds [...] has been possible for over a century"
Reality: Deprivation purely on 'conducive to the public goods grounds' has only been possible since 2006. Before then, it was only ever an additional requirement.
E.g. The individual must have committed fraud or treason AND deprivation must be conducive to the public good.
E.g. The individual must have committed fraud or treason AND deprivation must be conducive to the public good.
This is untrue.
The facts on removing 🇬🇧 citizenship:
➡️ Deprivation was only possible for treason until 2002
➡️ You can't appeal a decision of which you haven't been notified
➡️ It can be used against any dual citizen if deemed "conducive to the public good"
The facts on removing 🇬🇧 citizenship:
➡️ Deprivation was only possible for treason until 2002
➡️ You can't appeal a decision of which you haven't been notified
➡️ It can be used against any dual citizen if deemed "conducive to the public good"
The #BordersBill allows the government to withhold notification if it is deemed:
➡️ In the interests of national security,
➡️ In the UK's diplomatic interests, or
➡️ Otherwise in the public interest.”
➡️ In the interests of national security,
➡️ In the UK's diplomatic interests, or
➡️ Otherwise in the public interest.”
The Home Office until recently was claiming that the Home Secretary couldn't leave anyone stateless.
They've quietly removed that false claim from their 'fact sheet', but it's still up on Twitter.
They've quietly removed that false claim from their 'fact sheet', but it's still up on Twitter.
THREAD: The Home Office has announced today that it is setting up a new "Scientific Advisory Committee" to provide advice on ways to check how old an asylum seeker is, and to say there are concerns to be had about this is underselling it spectacularly. 1/
gov.uk/government/new…
gov.uk/government/new…
First off, the need for such assessments is being based on somewhat specious arguments. Current "Merton Compliant Age Assessments" are fairly subjective, and can fail to take such things as cultural differences into account, leading to children being wrongly classed as adults. 2/
This has led to age disputes resulting in children being miscategorised as adults, with mistakes being hard and protracted to rectify. This has in the past led to children who have been mis-aged being attacked and abused after being treated as adults. 4/
theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/m…
theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/m…
