Liz McCarthy

Section One Summary What factors affect migrant decision-making? Migration trends and secondary movement towards the UK Since 2017, the number of asylum applications in the UK has been increasing, by 2019 returning to levels seen during 2015-16 although the UK was relatively little affected by the European 'migration crisis'. This recent increase is likely due in part to movement to the UK by those already in Europe. In 2019, at least I in 6 asylum applicants to the UK had made a prior application in a European country. However, only a small portion of secondary movement across Europe is to the UK-in 2019, the UK produced just 6% of Eurodac hits relating to prior applications elsewhere in Europe. While many entering the UK may travel through France, most top nationalities applying for asylum in the UK do not apply in France in large numbers (with the exception of Sudanese, Afghan and Albanian applicants). Social networks, shared languages and diasporas motivate asylum seekers to reach certain destination countries Social networks aid migrant integration to society, acting as facilitators of information relating to life in the destination country. They are considered trusted sources and are likely to influence migration journeys more than information from formal institutions. The presence of diaspora communities can motivate migrants to reach certain destination countries. The proportion of diasporas in the EU+ residing in the UK is correlated with the proportion of asylum applications across the EU+ made in the UK (see slide 21). Armed conflict, human rights abuses, poverty, political & economic instability and violence are factors that forcibly displace migrants The majority (57%) of individuals escaping persecution are internally displaced within their own countries and most refugees displaced abroad stay within their region of displacement, living in countries neighbouring their countries of origin. Of the number of asylum seekers that reach Europe, o…

In fact, the Home Office's own analysis shows that harsher policies, such as those being presented by the Home Secretary, are more likely to force people into more exploitative situations, and being trafficked. 7/

freemovement.org.uk/wp-content/u...

Opinion Restoring order at the border speaks to Labour values. Without that, we won't be able to do anything else at all Shabana Mahmood Our approach, unlike that of the Greens and Reform, is in step with the British people. They don't want extremes - they want a system that is managed and fair Shabana Mahmood is the UK home secretary

This is a hot mess of outright lies and misinformation from the Home Secretary, designed to try and persuade people that a government which is implementing some of the most hostile anti-immigration/asylum policies, in practice, for decades is progressive. 1/

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Our drug policy makes sense, @greendrugpolicy.bsky.social. The war on drugs has failed we need take a public health approach to help people, that means legalise and regulate and follow advice from proper health professionals.

👇
bsky.app/profile/ajs1...

There are no guardrails on US or Israeli actions anymore. Haven't been with the latter since October 7 2023 and with the former since the first Southcom strike on boats in the Caribbean.

The people wanted the full release of the Epstein files

They wanted Trump to be called to testify about his involvement

They wanted transparency

They did not want a war with Iran.

80% are opposed to it.

This was illegal, immoral & won’t make us forget about the child rapists

He’s so dangerous!

Chlorine Dioxide, Raw Camel Milk: The FDA No Longer Warns Against These and Other Ineffective Autism Treatments The FDA has taken down a webpage warning about therapies and products making “false claims” of treating autism. It’s part of a series of actions the agency has taken under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy ...

NEW: The FDA has removed a webpage warning about dangerous therapies claiming to treat autism. It’s part of a series of actions the agency has taken under RFK Jr. to discredit long-established science.

By @megomatz.bsky.social

If only they could find a money pot like this to help the homeless or children living in poverty

Few scientists have so revolutionised our understanding of life as Charles Darwin. Born #OnThisDay in 1809, his work laid the foundations of evolutionary biology and transformed how we see the natural world, understand our origins, and think about humanity’s place within it. Happy #DarwinDay!

Non-working partners risk limbo with UK migration reforms, analysis finds Research comes as ministers signal rethink of policy that could carry big fiscal cost

The government's earned settlement proposals manage to be politically and morally bankrupt at the same time as being economically and fiscally counterproductive.

Quite remarkable really.

www.ft.com/content/ca14...

Many of us British Jews are also anti-zionist. Conflating Israeli and Jewish is itself antisemitic.

Public ownership of water is the only way to deliver security, efficiency, investment and value for money 37 years of privatisation has been a disaster

England's water companies promise £104bn investment by 2030.

Shareholders won't pay, customers will. Shareholders will own resulting assets, income streams.

Customers already paid, companies handed £85bn dividend to shareholders.

35% of customer bills pays for debt interest and dividends.

Number of homeless refugees in England soars, BBC has found Analysis of government data shows numbers increased from 3,560 in 2021/22 to 19,310 in 2024/25.

Key to this is the 28 day "move on" period for people leaving Home Office accommodation when granted refugee status. Previous government increased the period, but Labour in its desire to demonstrate its cruelty reduced it again, despite knowing the outcome. #r4today
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

EU plan to share data with US border force sparks surveillance fears Washington is demanding access to sensitive data as ICE heightens fears in Europe.

🚨🚨Given current situation and with the sharply deteriorating situation in #trumpland, I think it is unwise, imprudent and just a very bad idea for the EU to go ahead with plans to grant #US border authorities unprecedented access to Europeans’ data. 🧵
www.politico.eu/article/eu-m...

Latest figures show the net figure for migration at 200k - well down on the post Brexit peak of one million just two years ago when the Tories were in power and Braverman herself was responsible for immigration…

Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) | Prison Reform Trust

It takes a sec of effort to look it up: prisonreformtrust.org.uk/project/impr...

‘STATE SPONSORED TORTURE’ - the UK’s shocking IPP Scandal YouTube video by Peter Stefanovic

“This isn’t North Korea we’re talking about - this is state sponsored torture in THIS country - happening right now”

youtu.be/yo27emO72g8?...

Water bills in England & Wales are going up by an average of 5.4% in April.

Govt minister Alex Norris explains that because the profiteering private water companies have been stealing our money for years (rather than investing it), we have to keep letting them rip us off.

Primary-aged pupils among hundreds suspended for drug use in Norfolk Almost 300 pupils in Norfolk schools were suspended or excluded for drug use last year, including children of primary school age

For the first time nationally, more children are seeking help for ketamine use than for ecstasy. Norfolk reflects that wider shift in drug patterns among children – including two in primary school.

@eastangliabylines.co.uk

Today on #HolocaustMemorialDay we remember the millions of people murdered in the Holocaust & in the more recent genocides around the world.

We must learn from the past. Because genocides starts with the idea that some people matter & some don’t. We must fight this with everything we have. ⁣

Record number of people in UK live in ‘very deep poverty’, analysis shows Joseph Rowntree Foundation finds problem is ‘deeper and more damaging than at any point in the last 30 years’

About 6.8 million people – half of all those in poverty – were in very deep poverty, the highest number and proportion since records began three decades ago - @jrf-uk.bsky.social analysis
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Grok could have produced 3 million sexual deepfakes in 11 days, says estimate European regulators have yet to decide how to handle the explosion of nonconsensual deepfakes on the platform.

🚨🚨Re #leavingX, a recent study on the artificial intelligence chatbot #Grok embedded on X estimates it created the astonishing number of 3 MILLION sexualized images in 11 DAYS in January, including 23,000 of children. Unforgivable with this evidence to stay on #X. www.politico.eu/article/grok...

New - Nigel Farage has been found by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards to have made 17 standards breaches, adding up to over £380,000 in late declarations.

He’s apologised, so no further investigation (which seems unusual for a breach this large)

Donald Trump tied his claims on Greenland to not being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, in a letter to Norway's prime minister obtained by Bloomberg News. Full story: bloom.bg/3LPd10i

📷: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

London’s murder rate drops to lowest in more than a decade Sadiq Khan says ‘public health’ approach has made the capital one of the safest cities in the western world

The homicide rate for under-25s is now 3x lower than it was when I set up the VRU in 2019, and hospital admissions of young people for knife assault have almost halved in the same period.

London is safer thanks to the prevention work of @london-vru.bsky.social.

All Reform councils to raise taxes despite campaign pledges Council leaders have found themselves hamstrung by social care costs, but party sources hope they will have the lowest average tax rises of any party

Quelle surprise...

All 12 of Farage's Reform UK Ltd councils are increasing council tax

Worcestershire has asked special permission to increase their tax by 10%

Derbyshire, North Northamptonshire, West Northamptonshire and Leicestershire to the maximum 4.99%

Kent and Staffordshire to 3.99%

Well she’s now the Conservative Commissioner for Shale Gas so they’re in a similar sector and she has no interest in utilities being ‘punished’

The fact that homicides of young people have declined significantly is well worthy of note. "Homicides of those aged under-25 have fallen dramatically, with 18 recorded in 2025 compared with a peak of 69 in 2017."

'It doesn't suggest a clear prioritisation in the country's interests.'

@tomtugendhat.bsky.social responds to @nickferrarilbc.bsky.social surprise that the government chose to talk about potholes over the weekend instead of Iran.