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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 3h

In the current climate of far right hostility, Jenrick is actively inciting violence against these judges with this. Badenoch may have defended his explicit racism yesterday, but this alone should see him lose both his position as shadow justice secretary and the whip immediately.

#r4today

Robert Jenrick names judges he would sack for ‘pro-migrant bias'

The shadow justice secretary has accused 'activists' within the judiciary of having links to political causes that compromise their independence

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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 3h

There is something deeply broken in the UK and it has absolutely nothing to do with migrants, especially with 1 in 25 properties being vacant.
This should be the number one priority for the government. Instead more and more homeless individuals are dying.
www.bbc.com/news/article...

UK deaths of 1,611 homeless people in 2024 is record high

Most are linked to suicide or drugs, with spice and nitazines increasingly deadly.

www.bbc.com

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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 12h

'Dad, dad, we get it, but it is time to stop talking about the Conservatives being racist at their conference and go to bed"

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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 14h

Can we stop using calling groups like Sex Matters and LGB Alliance,"Gender Critical Activists" as if their views are in any way "legitimate"? When they make comments like these then I can't see how you can call them anything other than transphobic hate groups.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

Gender critical activists accused of ‘hateful’ remarks about trans women

Labour MP Richard Quigley said he was ‘appalled by the comments, but not surprised’

www.independent.co.uk

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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 16h

Sorry but that is utter nonsense and spectacularly fails to understand the one in one out policy
bsky.app/profile/dani...

Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 13d

The "in" part of the "one in one out" policy could have been enacted without the "out", and minimal impact to number of people seeking asylum.

By the very nature of the policy it won't act as a "deterrent", but does risk creating a cycle of people for gangs to prey on.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

BREAKING

Kathryn Armstrong

A family of three, including a child, are the first people to arrive in the UK under the government's "one in, one out" agreement with France, the Home Office has announced.

The move follows the removal of the first four migrants from the UK to France as part of the year-long scheme.

"This is a clear message to people-smuggling gangs that illegal entry into the UK will not be tolerated," a Home Office spokesperson said.

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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 21h

Except, and I do fully understand that this is the Telegraph so facts might not matter too much, pretty much every reliable expert agrees that the only practical way to genuinely reduce small boat crossings is to provide safer and simpler alternatives. 1/

Michael Deacon

The Greens say they've got a plan to stop the boats.

Unfortunately, it's barking mad

Their proposal won't solve the problem. In fact, it shows they don't even understand what the problem actually is

Simple. It would allow the small boats' prospective passengers to enter Britain by "safe and legal routes” instead.

Mr Polanski seems to think that this is a brilliant scheme. I fear, however, that not all voters will share his enthusiasm. Because, in effect, he's pledging to stop people entering Britain illegally - by allowing them to enter Britain legally. He might as well say: "We're going to end shoplifting - by requiring shops to give away all their products free of charge."

Mr Polanski's plan, therefore, will not solve the problem. In fact, it suggests that he doesn't understand what the problem actually is.

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Alex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 1d

Apparently, this was "nothing to do with skin colour". Robert Jenrick just likes "mixed communities". Which is why he has also criticised very white neighbourhoods or towns and villages up and down the UK, umm... <checks notes> never.

Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 1d

Wow. Robert Jenrick doubles down by branding a black journalist's questions "ridiculous" and saying that the problem is not his comments, but "journalists like you who pop up and try to knock me down", adding that "this is the reason why terrorist attacks happen". ~AA

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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 17h

Not just NHS.
That's the thing with anti-immigration policies, as well as harming migrants themselves, they harm everyone. Undermining infrastructure and industries inevitably causes a decline in services and additional job losses for non-migrants as a knock on.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

NHS could cease to function under Labour’s new visa rules, say nurses

Exclusive: Royal College of Nursing says plan to tighten rules for foreign workers is ‘pandering’ to Reform UK

www.theguardian.com

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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 18h

It's more how it is taken as a straight line linear thing, without recognising fluctuating support needs or the variety of traits. I think is more about how the term "spectrum" has been taken, especially by the media, than the concept in more general terms.

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Rhianna Pratchett @rhi.bsky.social · 20h

Dad’s books are full of empathy, common sense, and a healthy suspicion of the powerful. But at its heart his work is also about how systems keep people poor while pretending it’s their own fault. So I hope Kemi’s taking notes as well as reading the jokes.

Paul Haine @paulhaine.bsky.social · 1d

Kemi Badenoch claiming Terry Pratchett as her favourite author is wild

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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 19h

I tend to use the, slightly flippant, phrasing that rather than a "spectrum" autism is more like a pick and mix you don't get to pick.
Many autistic individuals may have differing traits, and, speaking personally, support needs can fluctuate day by day.

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/h...

Why autism may not be on a ‘spectrum’ after all

The idea of a single autism spectrum, stretching from mild to severe, may be misleading

www.independent.co.uk

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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 20h

JFC the man has not one ounce of shame in him.

He went to private school and Cambridge. He owns three homes and rents a fourth!

James Austin @jamesdaustin.bsky.social · 21h

I know plenty of politicians 'working classify' their backgrounds, but this from Jenrick is taking the piss.

His father's linked in is here: uk.linkedin.com/in/bill-jenr...

He was a managing accountant who ended up as the Managing Director of Cannon Industries

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Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 20h

It is also deeply unhealthy to have local govts who don’t provide many visible/valuable services for most residents (because they lack the resources). Encourages distrust and populism - “what am I paying my council tax for? The council does nothing for me.”

Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 20h

Amazed this is still going ahead - basic and obvious problem is that essentially everything local government does now is for the poor. You can’t move it around without really hurting poor people somewhere!

Chaminda Jayanetti @cjayanetti.bsky.social · 22h

Some of London’s poorest areas could see their share of the children’s services funding formula halved under Labour’s plans to reform local government grants.

By me, for Politics Home: www.politicshome.com/news/article...

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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 20h

Amazed this is still going ahead - basic and obvious problem is that essentially everything local government does now is for the poor. You can’t move it around without really hurting poor people somewhere!

Chaminda Jayanetti @cjayanetti.bsky.social · 22h

Some of London’s poorest areas could see their share of the children’s services funding formula halved under Labour’s plans to reform local government grants.

By me, for Politics Home: www.politicshome.com/news/article...

London Councils Face Losing Half Their Share Of Children's Services Funding

Some of London’s poorest areas could see their share of funding for children’s services halved under Labour’s plans to reform local government gran...

www.politicshome.com

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Simon Cox @simonfrcox.bsky.social · 20h

UK has an *independent judge-led* process for judges to be disciplined or dismissed for misconduct. (For England & Wales see👇.)

Jenrick’s threat to politicise that threatens the independence of the judiciary he says - rightly - is world-renowned.

www.judiciary.uk/related-offi...

Judicial Conduct Investigations Office - Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

The Lord Chancellor and Lord Chief Justice are jointly responsible for judicial discipline

www.judiciary.uk

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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 21h

So not only does making it safer and simpler for people to seek asylum not increase numbers, or any potential "threats" as Deacon suggests, it actually reduces risks, tackles genuine crime in a way which benefits everyone, all at a far lower cost for which savings can be put into communities. 9/

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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 21h

Here's the fun bit for right wingers though. If you make it safer and simpler for people to seek asylum, you are more able to run all the relevant checks on people seeking asylum. You are more able to actually tackle gangs. You can focus border force on tackling drugs smuggling etc. 8/

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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 21h

The simple reality is that you could set up a 24/7 shuttle service for people to reach the UK to seek asylum and it would have a negligible impact on overall numbers. The UK is simply not a priority destination for most people seeking asylum. 7/

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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 21h

An additional argument Deacon, and others, including the current government, use is this one of people seeking asylum in the UK because of its "largesse" or "generosity". If that was why people chose where they seek asylum then they would remain in France which provides higher levels of support. 6/

"rather than brazen opportunists who have already passed through numerous safe countries on their way to exploit the British state's largesse;"

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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 21h

Deacon used the analogy of shoplifting. If you really want to use that analogy it would be more realistic to say that making it safer and simpler to seek asylum is akin to tackling deprivation and ensuring people can afford what they need to survive without being forced to resort to shoplifting. 5/

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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 21h

Majority of people seeking asylum in the UK, and remember that 98-99% of those crossing the channel seek asylum, and majority are found to have valid claims, despite the increasingly harsh anti-asylum policies, do so because they have existing ties in the UK. 4/

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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 21h

It's always a weird argument from those opposed to making it safer and simpler for people to seek asylum that it would act as a draw. If the safety of the route impacted people's decision making process then people wouldn't be using irregular routes anyway. It is just not a big factor. 3/

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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 21h

The other thing is that it is not the manner of entry which does pose the issue for most people. More people actually support providing asylum than oppose it, albeit I admit only marginally, in large part due to hostile media coverage driving the debate downwards arguably. 2/

Perhaps we should try to explain it to him.

When people complain about "the small boats", Mr Polanski, they don't mean that they object merely to the mode of transport involved, and that arrival by some other mode of transport would be absolutely fine. What they mean is that a) they think it's far too easy for people to enter this country, and far too difficult for this country to remove them once they're here; b) they're not tremendously happy that the Government is spending £4m a day of their money on asylum hotels; c) they harbour certain doubts as to whether these thousands of fighting-age men genuinely are all innocent victims of persecution, rather than brazen opportunists who have already passed through numerous safe countries on their way to exploit the British state's largesse; and d) they have an uneasy suspicion that some of the men may not prove to be model citizens - like the gentleman from Ethiopia who within eight days of checking into an asylum hotel in Essex had sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl.

Polling showing overall support, opposition, for providing asylum

Polling showing combined opposition for either maintaining current numbers of people seeking asylum or increasing them

Polling on support for either maintaining current levels of people seeking asylum or increasing it

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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 21h

Except, and I do fully understand that this is the Telegraph so facts might not matter too much, pretty much every reliable expert agrees that the only practical way to genuinely reduce small boat crossings is to provide safer and simpler alternatives. 1/

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Rachel Gooch @cambridgerach.bsky.social · 1d

He doesn't want areas where there is a 'preponderance' of one race over another. My kids school in rural Suffolk had one black family in a school of 1200 pupils. But that's not what he means, is it?

Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 1d

Wow. Robert Jenrick doubles down by branding a black journalist's questions "ridiculous" and saying that the problem is not his comments, but "journalists like you who pop up and try to knock me down", adding that "this is the reason why terrorist attacks happen". ~AA

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