Sunday is Human Rights Day and the 75th anniversary of the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Rather than celebrating this momentous occasion, the UK Government is introducing a bill which fundamentally breaches the UK’s obligations to uphold the human rights of asylum seekers under international laws to which the UK is a signatory, including the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). 

At Westminster on Wednesday a debate was held to mark the 20th anniversary of the repeal of s.28 of the Local Government Act 1988 which prohibited local authorities from promoting homosexuality or the teaching of the acceptability of homosexuality as a “pretended family relationship”. It meant that for over a generation same sex attraction dare not speak its name in schools or colleges across the UK. Homophobic bullying went unchallenged and sex education about the AIDS crisis was hampered at a time when it was crucial to save lives. 

It was announced yesterday that net migration is three times what it was when the Tories were re-elected for a third term in 2019 on a manifesto promising to reduce it. It is tempting to laugh but really, we should weep. One of the main reasons Brexit occurred was a result of the moral panic stirred up over immigration. And now we are left with a situation where we have lost free movement and skilled workers while refugees and asylum seekers are being treated appallingly, and all for nothing.

It's been another crazy week in British politics.  Just as Suella Braverman was sent packing, David Cameron, the disgraced former prime minister who brought you Brexit and the Greensill lobbying scandal was elevated to the Lords and appointed Foreign Secretary.