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Thom Brooks

Durham, Westminster
As seen in: BBC, Color Research & Application, Daily Mail, Financial Times, MSN South Africa, The Guardian, The Independent (UK), The Telegraph, The Washington Post, Wiley and
Covers:  Westminster politics. Citizenship. Criminal law and sentencing. Immigration law and policy. US politics.
Making citizenship & immigration policy fairer. Professor & Principal, Durham University. Cited across the 2026 Lords report. Fabian Society | BBC • Sky • CNN
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Letters: Voters are tempted by Labour because of the Tories' dire record on immigration

Letters: Voters are tempted by Labour because of the Tories' dire record on immigration

Sunday Telegraph — Plus: Why National Service makes sense; overcrowded prisons; luggage on trains; attitudes to sex; and the enduring popularity of Vera Lynn
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Polls say Labour can win on immigration - Progressive Britain

Polls say Labour can win on immigration - Progressive Britain

progressivebritain.org — How can Labour take advantage of the continuing Tory failure on immigration, an issue with which they have been historically more trusted?
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No 10 is within Starmer's grasp - this is what he now must do

No 10 is within Starmer's grasp - this is what he now must do

PoliticsHome — Labour has lost four general elections in a row - it's last defeat in 2019, the worst since 1935. Many wrote off the party's future for at least a decade after the Conservatives' "historic" landslide victory.
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Queen's 70-year reign 'should be included in UK citizenship test'

Queen's 70-year reign 'should be included in UK citizenship test'

Metro (UK) — The Queen's unprecedented 70-year reign should be a part of the UK citizenship test, according to the author of a report about the process. Interview with the Metro.
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Is Rwanda safe for refugees?

Is Rwanda safe for refugees?

PoliticsHome — Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to stop small boat crossings in the Channel as a key priority for what's left of his premiership.
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The Tories are the party of uncontrolled migration. Labour must offer change - LabourList

The Tories are the party of uncontrolled migration. Labour must offer change - LabourList

LabourList — As net migration hits a new record high, passions in Westminster could reach fever pitch. If we are to make best sense of what to do, we need to be clear about the facts and options. It is clear that none of this is easy reading for the Conservative government.
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A new EU returns policy will significantly reduce small boat crossings

A new EU returns policy will significantly reduce small boat crossings

PoliticsHome — Today, the ONS has published figures showing net migration has risen to a record high of 606,000 in 2022, a 20 per cent rise on the previous year's figures. This will undoubtedly reignite the debate about how migration can be better controlled in our post-Brexit system, especially to reduce small boat crossings.
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The art of the celebrity interview, with Sam Fragoso

The art of the celebrity interview, with Sam Fragoso

Financial Times — This is an audio transcript of the podcast episode: ' The art of the celebrity interview, with Sam Fragoso ' Lilah Raptopoulos There's a podcast I listen to called Talk Easy. It's hosted by Sam Fragoso. A few weeks ago, I was listening to Sam interview the actor Ke Huy Quan and things got pretty emotional.
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Without a new UK-EU returns agreement, Sunak's "stop the boats" pledge will fail - LabourList

Without a new UK-EU returns agreement, Sunak's "stop the boats" pledge will fail - LabourList

LabourList — Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has promised to " stop the boats". His new illegal migration bill would create the new powers that he claims the government needs to make this happen. There are three different criticisms of why this plan won't work. The first is that there is not much new in the bill.
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Costly neglect

Costly neglect

Fabian Society — Tackling spiralling levels of fraud must be a priority for Labour, writes Thom Brooks Fraud is the new crime pandemic in Britain. Forty per cent of all recorded crime is fraud, and around 40 million people were targeted in the first half of this year alone, with hundreds of millions of pounds lost each month.
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The Conservatives have lost public trust on immigration. Labour must take a lead - LabourList

The Conservatives have lost public trust on immigration. Labour must take a lead - LabourList

LabourList — Immigration has been a vote winner for the Conservatives for decades. The public trusted them most, and the more the public was concerned about immigration, the more they voted Conservative. Following Brexit promises to take back control of our borders, immigration fell out of the top ten issues of greatest public concern.
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Five steps Keir Starmer and the Labour Party must take to win power - LabourList

Five steps Keir Starmer and the Labour Party must take to win power - LabourList

LabourList — It is often said that being leader of the opposition is the most difficult job in British politics. This is not helped for Keir Starmer by having a revolving door of opponents, with five Prime Ministers in the last seven years.
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Here’s how Labour can make Britain a hostile environment for fraud

Here’s how Labour can make Britain a hostile environment for fraud

LabourList — Keir Starmer made a speech in Gateshead on Monday, telling his audience: “When I say decency and honesty matter, that means being honest about how we fund every single thing we promise you.” He committed Labour to explain every pound of its pledges for the next general election, leading with a pitch on Labour’s plans for wealth creation. Part of this strategy for economic growth must include a plan to better tackle fraud through a zero-tolerance approach.
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Opinion: Why does Priti Patel persist with her unpopular Rwanda plan?

Opinion: Why does Priti Patel persist with her unpopular Rwanda plan?

The Independent — Independent Premium Voices While government supporters claim refugees should claim asylum in the first safe country reached, this view is based on a mistake, writes Thom Brooks Thursday 23 June 2022 14:50 The Home Office's most senior civil servant had nothing good to say about home secretary Priti Patel's stalled efforts at deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda.
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Britain can have a world-leading asylum system - but only Labour will deliver it - LabourList

Britain can have a world-leading asylum system - but only Labour will deliver it - LabourList

LabourList — Nobody wants to see people risking their lives in small boats crossing the English Channel in search of asylum. The number of people making these perilous journeys is increasing - and with it the likelihood of further tragedies at sea. Priti Patel has sat on her hands for two years without a plan for dealing with this issue.
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Opinion: There's an obvious alternative to the government's Rwanda plan

Opinion: There's an obvious alternative to the government's Rwanda plan

The Independent — More than 4,500 migrants have crossed the English Channel this year already. With more than 23,000 crossings predicted for this year, they are on course to set a new all-time record. The government is under intense pressure to find a solution to bring these numbers down, prevent drownings at sea and help tackle illegal human traffickers.
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To win the argument on immigration, Labour's policies must focus on fairness - LabourList

To win the argument on immigration, Labour's policies must focus on fairness - LabourList

LabourList — It should be no surprise to find that the policy area where the Conservatives perform worst is 'managing migration' with only 14% public approval. There are many reasons for this, including the hostile environment, the Windrush scandal, border chaos post-Brexit and the dither and delay we have seen over granting Ukrainian refugees sanctuary in the UK.
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New Arrivals | Fabian Society

New Arrivals | Fabian Society

fabians.org.uk — The UK's response to the Ukraine refugee crisis was shockingly slow and inadequate. While European Union members opened their doors to millions of refugees, the UK government dithered and delayed. Its response lacked both competence and compassion. But asylum is only one area where the government is getting it wrong on immigration.
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Opinion: Our Brexit deal is the reason Channel crossings are out of control

Opinion: Our Brexit deal is the reason Channel crossings are out of control

The Independent — The Dublin Regulation meant that anyone who had set foot in another EU country first could be returned to that country, but this law no longer stands. Those who make the crossing know it will be difficult for Britain to return them to France
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The fantasy of sustainability | Thom Brooks

The fantasy of sustainability | Thom Brooks

iai.tv — The latest report on climate change is in. The warnings are as stark as ever, but the language still suggests that climate change is something that can be solved, once and for all, if only we adopted the right policies.
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Labour needs a complete rebrand, simply rearranging the deckchairs is not enough

Labour needs a complete rebrand, simply rearranging the deckchairs is not enough

The Independent — The Labour Party has lost four general elections in a row. The last, in 2019, handed the Conservatives their largest governing majority since Margaret Thatcher was prime minister in the late 1980s. Any pathway back to power faces an enormous uphill battle. If this was easy to overturn, it might have happened by now.
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Opinion: Priti Patel's immigration reform is a confusing mess that leaves us all worse off

Opinion: Priti Patel's immigration reform is a confusing mess that leaves us all worse off

The Independent — The latest net migration statistics published on 27 May are a much-delayed snapshot of England and Wales. The Office for National Statistics notes that new data from the year up to June 2019 should be viewed with some caution as Covid impacted its data collection.
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Metrics would ruin the REF

Metrics would ruin the REF

Times Higher Education (THE) — The REF and TEF should be brought together, but adopting low-quality shortcuts would undermine the whole purpose, says Thom Brooks
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The Tory immigration bill is no way to offer thanks to our NHS workers - LabourList

The Tory immigration bill is no way to offer thanks to our NHS workers - LabourList

labourlist.org — The Prime Minister returned to work only a few weeks ago. His top team - chief advisor Dominic Cummings, Health Secretary Matt Hancock, chief medical advisor Chris Whitty and top civil servant Sir Mark Sedwill - had all tested positive for Covid-19. While they recovered at home, Boris Johnson required hospitalisation and was treated in intensive care.
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