City of Sanctuary have put together eight ways we can stand in solidarity with Ukraine and make a difference to those who have had to leave everything behind. From making a donation to lobbying your MP, we all have a part to play. Find out more here
Responding to the news that the Home Office's visa centre for Ukrainian refugees in Calais will be in Lille, 70 miles away, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said:
What Safe Routes? What's happening with the Nationality and Borders Bill?
Following votes in the House of Commons on the Government's Nationality and Borders Bill, where Conservative MPs voted to overturn cross-party amendments passed in the Lords, Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron said:
In March the majority of MPs voted to reject all of the Lords' amendments to the Nationality & Borders Bill. It returned to the House of Lords this week where, again, the House of Lords defeated the Goverbment and insisted that its key changes where looked at again by the House of Commons. An unusually high number of amendments were voted through (12 out of 13) . In particular the Peers voted to scrap clause 11 which seeks to treat refugees differently based on how they arrive there rather than on their need for protection. Peers also voted to allow asylum seekers to work if their case was not resolved within 6 months, and that the government had to publish how many refugees it will resettle each year . This represents another major win although the revised amendment dropped a specific reference to a number. The amendments will have to go back to the House of Commons where MPs will vote again. Peers have shown that they are going stand up for rights of refugees and the UN Convention; the government has a
Following an excellent campaign by Praxis the Government has announced a permanent extension of free school meals to ALL families affected by No Recourse to Public Funds. Well done Praxis!