Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One app.

Start reading

Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles. One news app.

Start reading

EXPLAINED: The refugee council | Vintage Vibes

UK asylum appeals backlog at new record high after almost doubling in a year

There were 80,333 cases in the system at the end of December, up from 41,987 at the same point in 2024.

The Independent UK

Asylum seeker appeals backlog at record high after almost doubling in a year

At the end of December there were 80,333 asylum seeker appeal cases in the system, up from 41,987 at the same point in 2024

Evening Standard

Asylum seekers waiting over a year for claim in UK may be allowed to work under new measures

Shabana Mahmood hopes to reduce number of claimants in hotels by enabling them to support themselves

The Guardian - UK

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

I never thought I’d see an asylum hotel on fire, or worry about my staff’s safety. The past five years changed that

As head of an immigration charity, I’ve seen firsthand how hostility and toxicity have reached unprecedented levels, says outgoing Refugee Council CEO Enver Solomon

The Guardian - UK

From Iran to Yorkshire: How a refugee found his drive, thanks to the Refugee Council

Mo knew what it was like to starve; now he delivers food to the hungry

Evening Standard

Enver Solomon restores our faith in Britain

Letters: Readers reflect on an interview with the outgoing chief executive of the Refugee Council

The Guardian - UK

‘We thought the Rwanda scheme was the worst of it’: Enver Solomon on leading – and leaving – the Refugee Council

It has been a difficult week for those working with refugees and migrants in the UK, after Labour announced controversial new plans. Sadly, Solomon is used to such turmoil. He discusses hostility, hope and asylum hotels

The Guardian - UK

Read news from The Economist, FT, and more,
with one subscription

UK Asylum Reforms Could Lock Migrants into Low-Paid Work: 'It Makes Me Feel Unwelcome'

The UK's new temporary-status asylum reforms face fierce backlash, with critics warning they will push refugees into exploitation, poverty and long-term insecurity.

International Business Times UK

The Guardian view on Labour’s asylum plans: ministers cannot out-Farage the far right and should stop trying

Editorial: Shabana Mahmood’s asylum overhaul burdens an overstretched system and hands political advantage to her opponents

The Guardian - UK

UK rule change allows some Palestinian scholars to bring families from Gaza

Previous visa policy had forced the students ‘to choose between their education and their family’

The Guardian - UK

There are plenty of ways to humanely control British borders. So why isn’t Keir Starmer using them?

Labour’s incoherent asylum policies are vilifying refugees. A better and more compassionate route is possible, says the Refugee Council’s Enver Solomon

The Guardian - UK

Illegal migration and Ukraine ‘dominant issues’ as European leaders meet – PM

The Government announced plans to end automatic family union rights for those granted asylum in the UK.

Evening Standard

Starmer: No ‘golden ticket’ to UK as refugees will have to earn right to stay

New applications to the existing refugee family reunion route have been suspended since September.

Evening Standard

Starmer to discuss plans for refugees to ‘earn’ right to settle at EPC summit

The Government suspended new applications to the existing refugee family reunion route in September.

Evening Standard

Get all your
news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One news app.

The Independent UK

Shabana Mahmood: ‘We will deport immigrants unless they earn their right to be British’

It comes a day after Keir Starmer branded Nigel Farage’s plans to abolish indefinite leave to remain ‘racist’

The Guardian - UK

Lammy hints at U-turn to allow Palestinian scholars to bring children to UK

Group of students from Gaza with places at British universities are due to arrive in the UK within days

The Independent UK

The ‘one-off scheme’ which could see asylum hotels close next year

It would allow people from certain countries likely to be recognised as refugees temporary permission to stay

The Independent UK

Starmer could end asylum hotel use in six months with this one move, charity claims

The prime minister is under pressure to close asylum hotels after a series of violent protests

Get all your
news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One news app.

Evening Standard

Government could close asylum hotels next year with ‘one-off scheme’ – charity

The Refugee Council has proposed granting temporary permission to stay for certain asylum seekers to cut the need for hotels by next spring.

The Independent UK

The government must consider all options for a more forceful approach to migration

THE INDEPENDENT VIEW: Editorial: The proposal to grant a temporary permission to work to asylum seekers from countries where the overwhelming majority of applications for refugee status are normally granted deserves a cautious welcome – not least because it would enable 200 asylum hotels to be closed within a year,…

The Guardian - UK

Asylum seekers are being targeted – and so are those who help them. It’s a disturbing new reality

Far-right influencers are menacing charities and individuals to further isolate the people we work with. Ensuring safety is now part of the job, says Enver Solomon of the Refugee Council

The Independent UK

Britain’s migration crisis: What the latest numbers really show

Record number of asylum claims in Labour’s first year but real progress has been made to slash the backlog, as Holly Bancroft and Alicja Hagopian report

The Guardian - UK

Labour is about to get even tougher on asylum seekers. It still won’t work

Kneejerk policy changes won’t win over Reform voters, or stop boats crossing the Channel. Here’s what the government should do instead, says Enver Solomon of the Refugee Council

Creative Bloq

The Refugee Council's rebrand is a warm celebration of Britain

The use of beautiful lino cut illustrations gives the brand a textured feel.

The Guardian - UK

A day in the life of an asylum hotel: inside the UK’s most controversial accommodation

The media often stigmatises asylum hotels – and they are sometimes physically attacked too. But behind closed doors are people who dream of work, wheels, security and the simple freedom to choose what they eat

1 2 3 4 5

People

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

Organisations

the University of Oxford

European Political Community

75 stories

The Bell Hotel

69 stories

Read news from The Economist, FT, and more,
with one subscription

Topics

Places

Fourteen days free

Download the app

One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.