Free Movement Weekly Immigration Newsletter #86

Welcome to the weekly Free Movement newsletter! 

Last week saw further tragedy in the Channel with two separate incidents resulting in deaths. On Tuesday a woman died and a day later three people, including two children, died in an attempt to reach the UK. It is worth remembering that unaccompanied children are excluded from the new UK-France agreement. They cannot apply to come to the UK or be returned to France, so the agreement cannot be expected to reduce the number of children making this dangerous journey. If anything, the closure of the family reunion route may result in an increase in children making the attempt, given over half of the grants in that route were to children.

An important report was published last week, the independent review of bullying, harassment and sexual harassment at the Bar. The whole report is worth reading but I want to highlight the section on judicial bullying in particular which is set out at chapter 10. It is disappointing but unsurprising to see headings such as “Excuses for judicial bullying” and “The judiciary shows a failure to understand the power dynamics of bullying”. Every judge should read and reflect and on this, but more importantly routes to safely raise issues must be strengthened so that action can be taken and offenders can no longer act with impunity. 

In Parliament, last week saw the Westminster Hall debate on extending the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain for skilled workers and those in the Hong Kong (BNO) route. It was good to see the impact of the proposals and the unfairness of making such a change retrospective raised by MPs. Not much in response from new Home Office minister Alex Norris, beyond the fact that a consultation is coming. This afternoon is Home Office Oral Questions, the first one for the new Home Secretary.

Middlesex Law Chambers has lost their legal aid contract because of concerns about its performance. They were notified of this on 20 August 2025, yet when the Legal Aid Agency updated its list of providers on 3 September 2025 Middlesex was still listed, which is a considerable distance away from ideal and should be rectified immediately.

On Free Movement, I was away last week so it was a fairly quiet one. Colin wrote up the ministerial reshuffle and we updated and republished some posts including my explainer on finding old versions of Home Office guidance and checking for changes. This morning’s post is Nick Nason’s look at imminent changes to the early removal scheme for foreign national offenders.

For everything else on Free Movement and elsewhere, read on.

Cheers, Sonia

What we’re reading

‘I’ve seen at first hand that stopping the boats is an impossible task – no matter how much money we throw at it’ – Independent, 13 September

Are recent immigrants a “ticking time bomb” for British public finances? – Lauren Policy, 26 August

What is the endgame in this toxic immigration debate: is it friends and neighbours thrown out of the country? – The Guardian, 10 September

Windrush miner fights for compensation – BBC News, 14 September

Misinformation and myth: the UK’s phoney war over human rights – The Observer, 13 September

Police investigate arson attack on Southampton hotel subject to anti-immigration protests – ITV News, 10 September

Unpacking transparency: researching migration and border governance through Freedom of Information Requests – Border Criminologies, 11 September

UK Home Office dangles £1.3M prize for algorithm that guesses your age – The Register, 9 September

Hundreds of prison officers may have to leave UK after Labour’s visa rule change – The Guardian, 12 September

Home Office delays £816M English test contract despite market engagement – The Register, 10 September

International Student Levy Will Hurt Growth Agenda, Warns Russell Group – PoliticsHome, 14 September