Positive thinking

Amy Williams, Nottingham Trent University and WIlliam Niven, Nottingham Trent University Reports in the UK press on September 1 revealed plans by the home secretary, Priti Patel, to end the current migration system which reunites refugee children with their families living in Britain in the event of a no-deal Brexit. If legal routes to family reunion close, thousands of children will be at risk. After surviving dangerous journeys, these children, who have already suffered greatly, will be extremely vulnerable to traffickers and exploitation. This at a time when Britain has been commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Kindertransport , which saved around 10,000 mainly Jewish children from Nazi persecution. It’s ironic that a nation which prides itself on welcoming refugee children in the past – not just Jewish children, but also Basque, Gibraltarian and Maltese children – is now turning its back on those in real danger today. The story of the Kindertransport has be...

Jo Wilding, University of Brighton Ever since changes were introduced in 2013 to the way legal aid works in England and Wales, campaigners , judges and politicians have been telling the government that many people are now unable to access legal advice and representation. In October, the government announced a long-awaited review of the changes made in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO). This is urgently needed and welcome. My ongoing research with asylum lawyers suggests that the changes have created serious difficulties for people to access legal aid, even for cases that should still be covered by it, such as asylum, trafficking, certain types of housing law and welfare benefits. It is also increasingly difficult for lawyers to provide legal aid for these kinds of cases. Rates of pay for all areas of civil legal aid work were cut by 10% in 2011, before LAPSO took almost all non-asylum immigration law out of the scope of legal...