Latest Publications

Latest Publications:

Publication

A tale of two human rights lawyers: Could a Labour government realise a better future in the UK for refugee protection with control?

The question of whether and, if so, how countries can construct arrangements to transfer asylum seekers to other countries is viewed with alarm by most supporters of refugee rights. But this need not be so. This briefing shows how Labour’s focus on the potential for tough action on Channel crossings, when combined with improved responsibility sharing for refugees across Europe, may represent a way forward that is compatible with the Refugee Convention, and a preferable alternative to the ‘Rwanda scheme’.
Published: 24 October 2023
Author: Jonathan Thomas
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Publication

The sound of silence: Rethinking asylum seekers’ right to work in the UK

Debates on asylum policy – specifically on their right to work – have been at an impasse, stuck between extremes. To break the policy impasse of over twenty years, this report makes the case for taking a different, centrist approach to the policy around asylum seekers’ right to work in the UK.
Published: 24 July 2023
Author: Jonathan Thomas
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Publication

The Whole of the Moon: UK labour immigration policy in the round

With labour immigration to the UK scrambled by Brexit, the pandemic, and broader developments in the practical economy, this report focuses on the challenges of labour shortages for UK immigration policy in the context of the avowed political aim – of both the UK’s major parties – of a high-wage, high-skill economy.  
Published: 26 June 2023
Author(s): Jonathan Thomas, Aveek Bhattacharya, Gideon Salutin
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Publication

Routes to resolution: Finding the centre ground in Britain’s immigration debates

Over the last 20 years immigration numbers to the UK have hugely impacted British political and public life. This report looks at the past, present, and future of these immigration numbers, from asylum seekers to overseas workers, and how they interact with politics and policy. It challenges common perceptions on both sides of the debate, arguing that those advocating for more open approaches to immigration should contemplate some tough compromises to achieve broader support for their aims.
Published: 19 December 2022
Author: Jonathan Thomas
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Publication

Baby bust and baby boom: Examining the liberal case for pronatalism

This briefing paper considers the liberal case for explicitly ‘pronatalist’ policies that aim to increase the birth rate in the UK.
Published: 20 September 2021
Author(s): Scott Corfe, Aveek Bhattacharya
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Publication

The EU Settlement Scheme: The greatest story never told?

The terms of the EU Settlement Scheme are very generous in giving EU citizens the right to stay in the UK permanently, both absolutely and in comparison with the EU...
Published: 29 June 2021
Author: Jonathan Thomas
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Publication

The New Plan for Immigration: We need to talk about Albania

This briefing argues that by failing to engage with either the public’s scepticism of asylum seekers, or the problem of what to do about failed asylum seekers, the refugee rights sector has ceded the ground in this area to the Government, and that the New Plan for Immigration is largely the result.
Published: 05 May 2021
Author: Jonathan Thomas
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Publication

Stuck in the middle with you

In response to the Government’s proposals for a 'New Plan for Immigration', this report argues that the UK should amend its existing immigration rules to allow safe and legal routes for more people to enter the UK on humanitarian grounds who can more easily integrate and make economic contributions to the UK.
Published: 25 March 2021
Author(s): Russell Hargrave, Jonathan Thomas
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Publication

Fixing Britain’s broken asylum system

This briefing paper discusses the on-going war of words between the Government and refugee advocates over recent rhetoric on asylum and illegal migration. It sets out the complexities and challenges facing Britain's asylum system and makes the case for co-operation between both sides over increased participation in international resettlement schemes.
Published: 30 November 2020
Author: Jonathan Thomas
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