The Nationality and Borders Bill is back in Parliament next week.
It's the biggest threat to refugee rights we’ve seen in decades and breaches our obligations under international law.
Here’s what you need to know 👇🏽 1/9
The Bill was recently updated so that the government can strip someone of British citizenship without notice.
This law will of course be used against people of colour, no matter if they were born in this country. 2/9
The Bill criminalises people coming here without permission.
But it doesn't create safe and legal routes to asylum.
Therefore people can’t travel legally and are forced to do so illegally. 3/9
If you travelled via another country (bear in mind we’re an island!), the government will refuse your asylum claim and try to get another country to process it.
The global asylum system would crumble if every country refused to play its part “bc another country is closer”. 4/9
Even if you are eventually granted refugee status, you:
▪️only get temporary leave to remain
▪️have no right to family reunion
▪️have no recourse to public funds (so risk destitution)
▪️face the constant threat of expulsion. 5/9
The government says it wants to prevent people trafficking, but this Bill pushes people into the hands of traffickers by closing other routes.
It also allows people who help asylum seekers arrive in the UK without any gain for themselves to be prosecuted. 6/9
So those who save people's lives could be criminalised.
Meanwhile Border Force officials whose actions could result in deaths at sea will be given immunity from prosecution. 7/9
This thread could go on and on.
The Bill is full of terrifying changes that will make the lives of refugees even harder.
It is completely inhumane. 8/9
So what can we do?
There aren’t enough opposition MPs to defeat this in a vote, but public pressure could force the government to U-turn.
That pressure has to be ramped up urgently. Write to your MP, organise demonstrations, voice your opposition.
Time is running out. 9/9
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As the Cass review is published, my thoughts are with the trans community.
Young trans people already face huge barriers to healthcare, including years-long waiting lists.
Their health and wellbeing should not be a front in a toxic culture war.
While some recommendations may positively impact the care young trans people receive, I know that others will cause significant concern.
I'm also aware of concerns raised about aspects of the review's methodology and therefore the basis upon which recommendations have been made.
In the coming days, I'll be speaking to experts, relevant organisations, and trans people themselves to better understand the report and its implications.
Its findings must not be spun by those ideologically opposed to trans healthcare.
Today is the last day of LGBTQ+ History Month 2024.
Recent years have been difficult for our community. That’s why I wanted to post a short thread to remind us of some of our movement’s past victories in the UK.
Like we won then, we can win again.
From the Middle Ages up until the 1960s, all sex between men was a crime. From 1958, the Homosexual Law Reform Society campaigned for decriminalisation.
The 1967 Sexual Offences Act legalised homosexual acts between men over 21, taking place in private.
However, the age of consent for queer men still remained higher than for straight couples (16). This perpetuated the harmful (and still prevalent) idea of LGBTQ+ people as predators.
After a long campaign, it was first lowered to 18 and then finally equalised in 2001.
Liz Truss’ new cabinet is filled with out-of-touch ultra-Thatcherites who have opposed women’s and LGBTQ rights, dismissed the climate emergency and insulted working class people.
Here’s a thread of some of the leading stars and their greatest hits 🧵👇🏽
Deputy PM & Health Secretary Therese Coffey:
- Hostile to abortion, voted against extending access to at-home abortion pills
- Voted against same sex marriage & against extending it to Northern Ireland
- Wrongly claimed UC claimants could make up £20 cut by working two hours
Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng:
- Co-authored Britannia Unchained which called UK workers "among the worst idlers in the world"
- Toured around Saudi Arabia as Business Secretary, paid for by Saudi oil giant Aramco
- Defended then-Tory MP Owen Paterson after his sleaze scandal
The first ballot in the #ToryLeadershipContest is taking place today, so here are some facts about the 8 MPs who could become Prime Minister in just a matter of weeks.🧵👇🏽
1) Rishi Sunak.
Worth £730 million. Held a green card (= a permanent US resident) while he was Chancellor. His wife used non-dom status to avoid tax.
Said he would run the economy like Thatcher.
Biggest drop in living standards since 1956 while he was Chancellor.
2) Penny Mordaunt.
Previously supported greater rights for trans people. U-turned and lied about her previous position to win Tory votes.
Lied about Turkey joining the EU in the Brexit referendum.
Lied to firefighters while Fire Minister about guaranteeing pensions.
As Ministers spent Christmas Day in the comfort of their homes, they told 67 people trying to cross the Channel they’re not welcome.
The Borders Bill is the govt doubling down on political choices that have already cost lives. It will be a death sentence for future refugees.
Talk of criminal gangs is a tactic to distract from the government’s hostile environment creating perfect conditions for traffickers: closing safe and legal routes, stripping people’s rights when they arrive, plus foreign policy decisions forcing many to move in the first place.
To stop people dying in the Channel, we must completely reimagine our immigration system.
The status quo is free movement for the rich only. FM for all would not only benefit the person moving, it would reduce exploitation by criminal gangs and employers, benefitting everyone.