The government's asylum bill is designed to sharply polarise the politics of asylum ahead of the general election, says Katwala.
By SUNDER KATWALA, Director, British Future Mar 13, 2023
THERE has been a new Sunday morning routine in our house this year. Since my ten- year-old daughter got into football by watching Euro 2020 and the Lionesses triumph in the women’s Euros, the alarm goes off at 7.30am so we can get up to watch the early morning repeat edition of Match of the Day without knowing the football scores.
So I was one of many parents who had to explain what had happened to the weekend’s football highlights: a 20-minute programme with no commentators after the BBC’s suspension of host Gary Lineker led to a mutiny among pundits, players and BBC sport staff. My daughter’s first reaction was that cutting out the pundits – “the boring bits” – could make the programme better. But she also wanted to know when Lineker will be back on screen. It was not straightforward to explain how the arguments about refugees and history, free speech, politics and BBC impartiality risked cancelling the football – but this battle of Match of the Day will be among the first political arguments that many teenagers hear about too.
Gary Lineker (Photo by Hollie Adams/Getty Images)
The BBC struggles in the crossfire of the culture war and scored several own goals. It was odd for the main news bulletins to treat the early skirmishes over Lineker’s tweets as more newsworthy than the government’s asylum bill. The management’s decision to suspend the presenter escalated that twitterstorm into a farcical crisis. BBC impartiality matters, but a fatal lack of clarity and consistency meant that panicked responses to political pressure lacked legitimacy, either with BBC contributors or the general public.
Lineker’s challenge to the government’s asylum bill as an “immeasurably cruel policy” argued this was being pursued in language “not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s”. Reaching for the Nazi analogy was ill-judged, challenging hyperbole with hyperbole. There was, though, plenty to criticise in how home secretary Suella Braverman made the case for her bill. With 40,000 people crossing the Channel last year, Braverman told the Commons that a 100 million people might come to claim asylum in Britain, increasing this to “likely billions more eager to come here if possible” in a newspaper article. These lurid exaggerations reflect a deliberate political strategy to escalate public perceptions of threat. Research consistently finds that threat perceptions are a strong driver of anti-immigration public sentiment. But this is irresponsible language from a home secretary who is responsible for countering extremism too. Threat perceptions of ‘out groups’ are also the key risk factor in proactive far-right efforts to stoke protest into disorder and violence.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman listens as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during a press conference following the launch of new legislation on migrant channel crossings at Downing Street on March 7, 2023 in London (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
The polarisation over asylum played out at last Tuesday’s (7) GG2 Leadership and Diversity awards too, which exemplified the cocktail of progress and polarisation in the politics of diversity and migration. Prime minister Rishi Sunak won the double this year. It must have been especially easy, in this 24th year of the awards ceremony, for the judges to decide that both the “hammer” award for breaking the glass ceiling and the top place on the GG2 Power List were bound to go to the first British Asian prime minister. Grant Shapps made the Tory case for pride in a multi-ethnic Britain, reminding guests that David Cameron had been right in his prediction, at the 2014 edition, that the Conservatives would provide Britain’s first Asian prime minister. Labour MP Barry Gardiner, part of the judging panel, was sincere in noting the historic nature of the prime minister’s achievement, yet gave an impassioned speech about the clash with the values of the asylum bill. This brought a riposte from Conservative MP Shailesh Vara, arguing that partisan clashes over the issue should be kept for parliament, not a community celebration.
Rishi Sunak speaks in a summit at the Elysee Palace on March 10, 2023 in Paris, aimed at mending relations following post-Brexit tensions, as well as improving military and business ties and toughening efforts against Channel migrant crossings. (Photo by Kin Cheung - Pool/Getty Images)
Sunder Katwala
What risks getting lost in heated controversies about language was the content of the proposed legislation – especially with the government proposing to pass the bill at breakneck speed through the House of Commons this week. The provisions of the bill would – in future – rule inadmissible the vast majority of asylum claims granted in the UK over the past two decades. In seeking to make asylum claims permanently inadmissible, even when there is no realistic prospect of removing somebody from the UK, the bill breaches the core principles of the UN refugee convention, a key point made by the UNHCR, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Church of England and, despite the political polarisation, editorials in The Spectator and The Times.
Sunak may be, by instinct, more of a political bridger than a polariser, with less appetite than his home secretary for embracing the culture war. Yet this bill is designed to sharply polarise the politics of asylum ahead of the general election. The next parliament will inherit a different challenge: how to repair and reform refugee protection in this country, to counter the increasingly angry politics of asylum with an orderly, workable and humane agenda capable of rebuilding political and public consent.
GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE is now investigating more than 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects, following years of public criticism and institutional failings in tackling child sexual exploitation.
A new report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has revealed the force has made “significant improvements” in dealing with group-based sexual abuse and related crimes.
According to the 76-page report, GMP is handling ongoing investigations involving 714 identified victims and 1,099 suspects. These are described as “multi-victim, multi-offender” cases, reflecting the complex and organised nature of many of the crimes under investigation.
Michelle Skeer, HM Inspector of Constabulary, said that since 2019, GMP has taken steps to improve how it handles both historic and ongoing abuse cases. “It is clear that the force has, for many years, been trying to provide a better service to those who have or may have experienced sexual exploitation,” she said. “But for some, trust and confidence in the police had been lost.”
The report praised the leadership of chief constable Sir Stephen Watson and his team, noting a cultural shift within the force. Senior officers have made child protection a top priority, personally engaging with staff to reinforce its importance. “Investigating child sexual exploitation is now considered everyone’s business,” the report stated.
GMP is the only police force in the UK with a dedicated Child Sexual Exploitation Major Investigation Team (CSE MIT), formed in 2021.
The unit has around 100 staff and a ring-fenced budget. It applies the same specialist tactics used for tackling serious organised crime, which has already resulted in 42 convictions and over 430 years of prison sentences for offenders.
According to the report, the delay in sharing crucial data from local councils, particularly Manchester City Council, which was criticised for submitting evidence so heavily redacted that some pages contained only a few words.
These delays have hindered investigations such as Operations Green Jacket and Bernese—cases linked to historic abuse in South Manchester, including the death of 15-year-old Victoria Agoglia in 2003.
Manchester City Council said legal restrictions around personal data sharing led to redactions, but it has since introduced a new evidence-sharing process with police, allowing investigators remote access to unredacted documents.
Sir Stephen acknowledged past failures and issued a renewed apology. “I am sorry that when you needed us, we were not there for you,” he said. “To those who are responsible for these repugnant crimes – as is now very apparent – we will pursue you relentlessly.”
A report by Baroness Louise Casey previously found a significant over-representation of Asian men among child sexual abuse suspects in Greater Manchester. While this remains a sensitive issue, Sir Stephen noted it was a “legitimate question” that could be addressed in a future national inquiry.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, who commissioned the review, said he was “confident” the system is now in a stronger place. “Never again will any child here be labelled or dismissed when they come forward to report concerns,” he said. Burnham added that the reforms had sparked a “widespread culture change” across police, councils, and care services.
A separate Ofsted report backed these findings, acknowledging "much good practice" but calling for continued vigilance, especially in how agencies respond to missing children and those at risk of exploitation as they approach adulthood.
The Crown Prosecution Service has been approached for a comment.
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This year’s Diwali event will still see Belgrave Road continue to host what is left of the festival. (Representational image)
THIS year’s annual Diwali celebrations will be stripped back amid public safety fears. Leicester City Council has said there will be no fireworks or stage entertainment as part of major changes announced for the event.
Cossington Street Recreation Ground will also not be used for the festivities, the council has revealed. The green space previously was the location for the main stage and the Diwali Village with its food stalls, funfair rides, fashion and arts. The annual fire garden display was also based there, offering “a peaceful oasis amid the festive excitement”.
The council says major changes are needed to avoid the “potentially dangerous”, “massive” crowds that gather each year for the Hindu festival of light. The celebrations, widely considered to be the largest outside of India, have been branded a “victim of their own success” by the authority.
The changes have been announced after “serious concerns” about public safety were raised by the Diwali safety advisory group, the council said. It claimed the current set-up was branded “no longer fit for purpose” and that “urgent action” needed to be taken. “Several meetings” have since been held to consider options, the authority added.
These included potentially relocating the event to Abbey Park or Leicester city centre. However, the decision was made, following engagement with Belgrave businesses, to keep the celebrations in their historic home.
This year’s Diwali event will still see Belgrave Road continue to host what is left of the festival. More than 6,000 lights will be installed along the Golden Mile and the Wheel of Light will also return this year, the council added.
Assistant city mayor for culture Vi Dempster said: “Unfortunately, Leicester’s annual Diwali festival has become a victim of its own success. We’re being strongly advised by our emergency service partners and crowd control experts that it cannot continue safely in its current format due to the unrestricted and growing crowd numbers that it attracts, and that’s a warning we must take extremely seriously.
“We are absolutely determined that Diwali continues to be part of the city’s festive calendar. We also understand the depth of feeling to see it continue on the Golden Mile where it began over 40 years ago. To do that, we must ensure that it can take place safely. That must be paramount.”
The major changes follow a stripped-back celebration last year after the council decided to cancel the annual light switch-on due to financial difficulties, focusing on just the Diwali Day celebrations itself. The authority said at the time that costs for staging the dual events had skyrocketed from £189,000 in 2018 to a staggering £250,000 in 2023.
Graham Callister, the city council’s head of festivals, events and cultural policy, said: “Diwali has been a real highlight of the city’s festival calendar and attracts thousands of people who come from far and wide to join in the celebrations on the Golden Mile. However, we are now being advised by our emergency service partners and event security providers that we have reached the point where the growing crowds and sheer volume of people attending is causing significant concern about public safety.
“Scaling back on event infrastructure and activity means there will be the additional space needed – and more importantly less congestion – to safely welcome the crowds that want to celebrate on Belgrave Road.”
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Zarah Sultana with Jeremy Corbyn during a protest outside Downing Street demanding the UK government to stop all arms sales to Israel. (Photo: X/@zarahsultana)
FORMER Labour MP Zarah Sultana has announced her resignation from the party and plans to launch a new political party alongside ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and other independent MPs and activists.
Sultana, who represents Coventry South, lost the Labour whip last year for supporting the removal of the two-child benefit cap.
She stated on social media that the new party would aim to challenge what she called a "broken" Westminster system. In her post, she said the government was "an active participant in genocide" in Gaza and criticised Labour's response to the crisis. “Labour has completely failed to improve people’s lives,” she said.
Today, after 14 years, I’m resigning from the Labour Party.
Jeremy Corbyn and I will co-lead the founding of a new party, with other Independent MPs, campaigners and activists across the country.
Israel has strongly denied allegations of genocide in Gaza. Prime minister Keir Starmer has described the situation as “appalling and intolerable,” while calling for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. The International Court of Justice is currently examining the genocide claims.
Responding to Sultana’s comments, a Labour spokesperson cited government achievements including wage increases, NHS appointments, and trade deals.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper said Sultana had “always taken a very different view” and defended the government’s actions.
Sultana, elected in 2024, was one of eight MPs suspended for opposing the two-child cap. While four have rejoined Labour, Sultana and John McDonnell remain independents. McDonnell said he was “dreadfully sorry” to see her leave. The BBC reported he will not be part of the new party.
Corbyn and four other independent MPs previously formed an alliance, winning in constituencies with large Muslim populations on a pro-Palestinian platform. He told ITV’s Peston there was “a thirst for an alternative” and said, “There will be an alternative... based on peace rather than war.”
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The certificate was presented to Shah at the Welsh parliament by Anita Bailey, Home Office Director Windrush Unit.
A prominent Asian doctor has been recognised for his services to the community. Prof Hasmukh Shah has received a certificate of appreciation for his contribution and services to the United Kingdom.
The certificate was issued by Seema Malhotra MP, UK Minister for Migration and Citizenship, as part of the Windrush Cymru Elders and Race Council Cymru’s Windrush work in Wales.
It was presented to Shah at the Welsh parliament by Anita Bailey, Home Office Director Windrush Unit.
Shah is the Secretary of the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) in Wales.
In June 2018, he received the British Empire Medal (BEM) from Queen Elizabeth in her Birthday Honours List.
In 2024, the Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Jeremy Miles, presented Shah with a Lifetime Service Award for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the international Girmit conference in Cardiff.
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Dalai Lama looks on as offerings presented by Buddhist followers are laid on a table during a Long Life Prayer offering ceremony at the Main Tibetan Temple in McLeod Ganj, near Dharamsala, India, on June 30, 2025.(Photo: Getty Images)
A SENIOR Indian minister has said that only the Dalai Lama and the organisation he has established have the authority to decide his successor as the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. The comment runs contrary to China’s long-standing position on the matter.
The Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule, said on Wednesday that after his death he would be reincarnated as the next spiritual leader, and that only the Gaden Phodrang Trust would be able to identify his successor. He had earlier said that the next Dalai Lama would be born outside China.
China has maintained that it has the right to approve the next Dalai Lama, citing a legacy from imperial times.
Rijiju: Only Dalai Lama or his institution can decide
India’s minister of parliamentary and minority affairs, Kiren Rijiju, made a rare comment on the issue on Thursday. He was speaking ahead of a planned visit to the Dalai Lama’s base in Dharamshala, where the spiritual leader will celebrate his 90th birthday on Sunday.
“No one has the right to interfere or decide who the successor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be,” Indian media quoted Rijiju as saying.
“Only he or his institution has the authority to make that decision. His followers believe that deeply. It’s important for disciples across the world that he decides his succession.”
China warns India over remarks
Following Rijiju’s comments, China’s foreign ministry on Friday warned India against interfering in its internal affairs and urged it to act with caution.
“We hope the Indian side will fully understand the highly sensitive nature of Tibet-related issues, recognise the anti-China separatist nature of the 14th Dalai Lama,” spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press conference.
India’s foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the Dalai Lama’s succession plan.
Rijiju, who is a practising Buddhist, is expected to be joined by other Indian officials for the birthday celebrations in Dharamshala.
India is home to tens of thousands of Tibetan Buddhists, who are allowed to live, study and work freely. The Dalai Lama remains a respected figure in India, and foreign policy analysts say his presence gives India some diplomatic leverage in its relations with China.
Ties between the two countries deteriorated sharply after a deadly border clash in 2020 but are now slowly improving.