For roughly £20 million the Home Office could've cleared the asylum backlog it created, reducing associated costs such as hotels. Instead it plans to pay nearly £10 billion on a policy which appears specifically designed to fail. #r4today 1/
thetimes.co.uk/article/4c2cf7… The #IllegalBill, can only put more people at risk, including tens of thousands of children. It denies modern slavery victims protection, boosting gang control, and removes human rights from the most vulnerable, as well as sees children risk deportation 2/
theguardian.com/world/2023/mar…

Thread: Let's just take a quick look at some of the points @SuellaBraverman makes in the @ukhomeoffice's latest PR fluff piece about its Rwanda plan shall we? 1/ Refugees will be "protected and supported". Not strictly speaking accurate considering refugees already in Rwanda face significant abuse and abandonment, including being left destitute and starving and facing sexual assaults from the authorities. 2/

Likewise with models of Auschwitz. There are so many things to condemn Braverman about, but faked images, tweets etc just mean she can claim she is being personally targeted. I know how tempting it is to share them, but it undermines actual advocacy. Please don't.

https://twitter.com/Samfr/status/1637455399619031040

I am not saying you play some middle of the road argument, just that when you amplify things which can then be turned around and spun by the government you make it harder to get actual arguments listened to. It becomes a distraction from the obscenities being carried out.

I regret to inform you that Matt has been at it again, but it is okay because he has ignored the overwhelming evidence which disproves his assertion by conducting his own "polls". Where Goodwin could, if he didn't on a regular basis seem determined to mislead people with disingenuous "polls", have a case is that people are concerned about the manner which people arrive in the UK, as opposed to actually seeking asylum.

The latest Immigration Stats. Couple of things to note. Firstly, while up on previous years, the overall number of applications is still down on the peak of 20 years ago, yet the backlog in processing applications has grown for nine years. 1/
gov.uk/government/sta… Also worth noting that the current increase is also reflected in the increase in asylum applications in the EU, and likely caused by a "rebalancing" of people seeking asylum after a drop seen during the pandemic. So should not be considered a long-term trend at this point. 2/

Attacks like those in Knowsley aren't because of "concerned parents". They are down to a rising, coordinated, far-right campaign, and it is emboldened by the rhetoric and misinformation about asylum seekers spread by certain politicians and press. #r4today
thetimes.co.uk/article/f28528… Plenty of people have tried to make out attacks against asylum seekers are all down to "legitimate concerns". They aren't. There is nothing "legitimate" about #KnowsleyRiots, and nothing "legitimate" about far-right thugs going after people seeking safety.

https://twitter.com/stand_for_all/status/1624307834836992000?t=anGhe4S7ozndI4mm3UQ7EQ&s=19

Dear God @grantshapps please learn at least the basics before speaking. Carrier liability fines prevent asylum seekers using commercial routes, and NO-ONE CHOOSES TO BE TRAFFICKED. This is where knowing the difference between trafficking and smuggling would be helpful for an MP.

https://twitter.com/RidgeOnSunday/status/1622160893428596736

The UK has very few, highly limited, government approved resettlement routes, which is why people have to make small boat crossings. It is the only way for many to seek asylum in the UK, and their right not to be penalised for manner of entry is guaranteed under international law

Politics aside, yes, you know what, a ceasefire would be good. You know what else, Russia is actively engaged in committing a fricking genocide in Ukraine. Not arming Ukraine only ends the war in one way, with Russia finishing that genocide. Putin has made that pretty damn clear.

https://twitter.com/lewis_goodall/status/1621840347910344704

"War is bad" is a pretty universally agreed thing, and you can make any comment you want about "Western interventionism", but it still remains fairly widely agreed. "Whataboutsim" doesn't work though. It is possible to say "this aggressor is bad" without saying that one is good.

I get that it is easy to say "why isn't the news just covering the stories which interest me", but I have been shocked by how little, overall, coverage 200 missing children has received, obviously aside from #r4today's segment suggesting they were "willingly trafficked". 1/

https://twitter.com/Love146UK/status/1621198348710469632

Even when it has been covered, a lot of coverage has made out this is a new issue, when it has been going on for a very long time, and that it is the fault of Albanians. If this was 200 British children it would be front page news and Ministerial resignations would abound. 2/

There are many reasons why plans to place asylum seekers in blatantly unsuitable accommodation like this, are seriously flawed, but "pressure on local children's services" is just a NIMBY argument which ignores that those services need investment as well.
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi… I would also suggest that @BBCNews should point out when the @ukhomeoffice provides misleading information in their quotes. While there has been an increase in channel crossings, we have not seen a commensurate rise in over asylum applications...

Thread: No matter how loudly certain people shout about "turning boats around in the channel", "send them back to France" etc, the simple fact is that you cannot return people to a country you don't have an agreement to do so with. 1/ #r4today
theguardian.com/world/2023/jan… The Rwanda plan, which itself is being challenged on its legality, only has capacity for sub-200 even if the government tried it. That means that all this talk about "returning anyone crossing the channel" is meaningless posturing. 2/

When I was growing up I flipped between saying I was gay or straight, because I didn't know you could be bi. More people identifying as trans and non-binary shows we are getting better at recognising the diversity around us. It isn't a negative. It's something to be encouraged. I got massively messed up, and heavily bullied, because no-body told me you could actually be bi. It was always made out you had to be gay or straight. That's being replicated with this whole manufactured panic about trans and non-binary individuals.

THREAD: I was due to be interviewed about this story today, but, understandably as happens, the news cycle has changed and the interview cancelled. So, instead, here are some more detailed thoughts about removals to Albania. 1/

https://twitter.com/stand_for_all/status/1606003879019106304

Albanians, and in particular younger Albanians, are one of the groups at the highest risk of trafficking. Put simply, the first target of the repeatedly mentioned "Albanian gangs" are Albanian citizens, and that includes men and women. 2/
nationalworld.com/news/politics/…

Unveiling even harsher asylum policies, which seem to violate international law with blanket refusals, won't reduce channel crossings. That will only happen by recognising that people, including Albanians, need protection and not discrimination. #r4today
thetimes.co.uk/article/5aa2f1…

https://twitter.com/stand_for_all/status/1601491594229972992

The thing is none of this is even new. The same tired old policies which have been tested, tried and failed every single time, through being illegal, inhumane, unworkable or all three. There is evidence that harsher policies make things worse though.
google.com/url?sa=t&sourc…

Thread: As yes the "liberal" defence of illegal and inhumane actions against people seeking safety. First off those "inconstestable" facts are indeed contested, by, uhm, the Home Office. Awkward. 1/
thetimes.co.uk/article/91c153… Rejecting human rights is unlikely to make a significant difference, unless that is you support removing people to countries where they face torture or inhumane treatment, in which case I would personally argue you cannot call yourself "liberal". 2/

https://twitter.com/stand_for_all/status/1601491562902753280?t=f2L2P94sgfNQKs5tIa82BQ&s=19

Thread: Once upon a time #humanrights were supported across political parties, across other ideologies. Now we have members of the House of Lords calling for the UK to leave not only human rights conventions, but the refugee convention. #HumanRightsDay2022, #r4today 1/ Attacking #HumanRights weakens them for everyone, not just people you don't like. More than that though, by weakening them here we risk also compounding a global undermining of human rights. There's nothing "democratic" or "taking back control" about forcing people to suffer. 3/

Thread: Okay, let's set some things straight here. We are in a cost of living crisis which is leaving millions destitute. If a relatively small number of people crossing the channel to seek safety is Sunak's biggest concern his priorities are broken. 1/

thetimes.co.uk/article/9b85d5… "Concern", arguably driven by the sheer weight of misleading information, is growing, but still not even close to "vast". It still ranks way below other key issues, again like the economy, so, again, bit worrying that this seems to be the priority. 2/
yougov.co.uk/topics/educati…

THREAD: I always feel awkward about whether or not being #ActuallyAutistic is a disability. I know technically, I suppose, it is. I don't see it as an issue. I live in near constant pain, that is a disability. Being autistic is just who I am. #InternationalDayOfDisability 1/ Okay, I'd better explain in more depth here, before I dig a hole I really can't get out of, although, I could just be digging it deeper. Being autistic is a rollercoaster, to say the least. It has good and bad points, and, let's be honest, has held me back in certain ways. 2/

I say this as someone who is Christian. If you blame immigration on the decline of people identifying as Christian you are de-facto saying people shouldn't have a choice about whether or not they are Christian. The majority of people say they aren't. That's not about migration 1/ "This is a Christian country". Well, yeah, it's basically a theocracy if you want to look at very practical issues such as Bishops in the House of Lords or the head of state being also the head of the church, but does it matter if it is or it isn't? In real terms?. 2/

Thread: Without formal returns agreements with those "safe countries" this is meaningless. You cannot "return" anyone to a country which hasn't agreed to take them. The end result therefore is leaving asylum seekers in limbo for even longer. 1/ #r4today

thetimes.co.uk/article/791fea… Now, ironically, the UK does have an agreement with Albania, but calling it a "safe country" is stretching the definition to breaking point, particularly in relation to the protection of trafficking victims. 2/
state.gov/reports/2022-t…

Albanian is not necessarily a safe country. It isn't safe if you are being trafficked or fleeing a blood feud. It is not safe for them to be returned. Albanian trafficking victims face torture and abuse. Davis is advocating for denying torture victims safety. #r4today It isn't only if you are being oppressed by the state, as David Davis claims, it is if the State cannot provide protection, and seeing as even the US State Department flags high level links between Albanian gangs and the Albanian government, so there isn't protection. #r4today