YouGov's London council election MRP forecasts breakthrough for the Greens and Reform UK in the capital, but with close races in many boroughs

# of boroughs where party has highest vote share, central projection
Lab: 15 (-6 from 2022)
Con: 5 (-1)
Grn: 4 (+4)
LD: 4 (+1)
Ref: 3 (+3)
Oth: 1 (-1)

Why teaching about local history matters The Migration Museum is proud to support the Local History Hub’s first ‘Local History Day’ for schools. A day for young people to explore the people, places, stories and objects connected to their loc...

We are proud to support @localhistoryhub.bsky.social's #LocalHistoryDay

Our Learning Manager Tia Shah explores why teaching local history is a great way of engaging young people on migration – and highlighting some digital resources to get you started: www.migrationmuseum.org/why-teaching...

The rush to appease Trump led Keir Starmer into this ethical void | Rafael Behr Mandelson’s flaws were mistaken for credentials to represent Britain in the court of a rogue president, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

On the part that Trump appeasement plays - traits that should have disqualified Mandelson were seen as credentials to be emissary at the court of a rogue president www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Novel approach needed for UK’s sick and unemployed A shift to local initiatives may help more people back into work

New IfG report recommends devolving employment support. I think the case for this is very strong: if you look at a map of “where sickness related economic inactivity happens”, it is obvious that what you are seeing is primarily a problem of how local economies operate:

Nigel Farage vows to deport small boat migrants who were granted asylum Reform UK says it would review five years of claims, leaving up to 400,000 people potentially facing removal if the party wins power

Reform pledges to review the previous 5 years of asylum grants if got into power - deporting those granted refugee status if came without permission.

Reform claim 400,000 people granted asylum would be "in scope" - and they would deport most of them

www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

Tube strikes: how disruptive will action by London Underground drivers be? RMT has called action in two 24-hour tranches this week over opposition to four-day working pattern

Tube strikes: how disruptive will action by London Underground drivers be?

Why higher pay hasn’t made young adults feel richer The aspiration gap has turned everyone into losers, especially graduates

Why higher pay hasn’t made young adults feel richer ft.trib.al/AwY2n0q | opinion

Legal aid for asylum seekers is hard to come by – it’s no wonder criminal advisers are taking advantage People seeking asylum navigate one of the most complex areas of law, often not in their first language

People seeking asylum navigate one of the most complex areas of law, often not in their first language

‘I feel like I’m losing her’: the families torn apart by older relatives going far right It starts with a ‘back in my day’ nostalgic meme – then suddenly your elders are sharing AI-generated ‘boomerslop’ and repeating conspiracy theories …

Fascinating.

Britain talks trust in science | Reports | Wellcome Drawing on research across Britain, this report explores public trust in science, how trust differs across different groups and how science can earn trust.

Science can change lives. But only with public trust.

New research by @moreincommonuk.bsky.social finds Britain broadly trusts science – but we can’t take that for granted.

Find out more in our new report ⤵️
wellcome.org/insights/rep...

The number of people crossing by small boat this year compared to last year. The fall is very real and not seasonal. Little difference in numbers during the winter but since numbers increased in spring, half as many people are coming as this time last year. This is mainly because of European trends.

So improve reporting and investigation for domestic abuse overall.
This drip feed of misleading claims making out that there is widespread abuse of the asylum system is going to harm those genuinely affected, and make it harder for them to seek safety. 1/
#r4today

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

BBC migration coverage: Review finds no consistent bias but risks to impartiality A review of the BBC's coverage of migration suggests the corporation should explore stories in greater detail.

BBC editorial staff should re-read their immigration review

The corporation struggles to cover well stuff that is not politically contested or controversial

It should cover controversial issues but it risks reinforcing major public misperceptions on key issues

www.bbc.co.uk/news/enterta...

The Brexit delusion is dead – so now Keir Starmer doesn’t need to pretend any more | Rafael Behr To rebuild relations with Europe in a dangerous world, the prime minister needs to win big arguments, not hide behind outdated red lines, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

This is right, but I'd go further: winning the domestic argument on the free movement of people is what's needed to unlock anything further than the reset. That means Starmer has to repudiate many of his own arguments on migration.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Mahmood’s migration changes will deliver fraction of claimed savings, data suggests Exclusive: Analysis of government figures indicates public finances will gain £600m not £10bn if migrants’ access to benefits is reduced

My analysis of the fiscal impact of the "earned settlement" proposals, based on government's own data.

The direct savings are a fraction of the Home Secretary's misleading claims, and likely to be offset by the substantial costs of lower work-related migration.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

The Disadvantage Gap explained - The Sutton Trust We have long called for action to close the attainment gap, but what is it?

✍️ "This is a tragedy for individuals, but also means our economy is missing out on a huge amount of potential talent."

The gap in attainment between richer and poorer pupils has lifelong implications - for both individuals and society.

It must be tackled ⤵️

Londoners may regret protest votes for Reform or Greens in local elections, says Sadiq Khan Exclusive: Capital’s mayor warns people not to use next month’s elections as a referendum on Labour’s progress * UK politics live – latest updates Sadiq Khan has said he can understand why some former Labour voters are “flirting” with other parties in the run-up to May’s elections, but said that they may regret seeing a Green or Reform-led council in their areas. Speaking to the Guardian at a youth centre, where he was announcing new funding for facilities for young people, the London mayor also cautioned Labour MPs against considering a challenge to Keir Starmer, saying such “navel gazing” would be punished by the electorate. Continue reading...

Londoners may regret protest votes for Reform or Greens in local elections, says Sadiq Khan

This analysis is total nonsense.

1. There is no chance at all that net migration will average 235k in 2026-27.

It will be much closer to zero than 235k

2. There will be declining school pupil numbers & closures for demographic reasons

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04...

Youth mobility negotiations - UK in a changing Europe Catherine Barnard and Denzil Davidson explain why negotiations on a youth experience scheme between the UK and the EU are so complex.

"There is a problem with legal competence– the power for the EU to negotiate a full-fat youth mobility scheme enabling young people to travel, study and, crucially, work."

@cbarnard.bsky.social & Denzil Davidson explain why youth mobility negotiations are so complex

🔗 ukandeu.ac.uk/youth-mobili...

A new piece on Labour's red lines on tax, Europe and migration. We think it's time for Labour to drop them.

Mayor allocates £30m for a youth club in every London borough The mayor says the late-night clubs would offer activities, mental health support, mentorship and food.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has pledged £30m from this year’s budget to launch a ‘Youth Lates’ programme with a new youth club in every London borough
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Earned settlement: retrospective change is wrong but prospective change is even worse - Free Movement Applying the new earned settlement rules retrospectively to migrants already here is wrong. People came to the UK under a specific set of rules and made

"The harm to integration, to the social fabric, to children’s futures and to workers’ rights will be immense."

@colinyeo.bsky.social on the government's "earned settlement" proposals.

freemovement.org.uk/earned-settl...

The economy and health are seen as the most important issues facing Scotland, ahead of the Holyrood election

Economy: 55%
Health: 45%
Immigration: 33%
Education: 20%
Housing: 20%
Independence: 14%
Crime: 14%
Europe: 14%
Tax: 14%
Environment: 12%
Welfare: 12%
Defence: 10%

yougov.com/en-gb/articl...

There’s only 2 weeks to until our webinar with @uofgpolicy.bsky.social where Prof Kezia Dugdale, @profnicolamcewen.bsky.social & Dr Hefin Gwilym will explore what can the devolved governments do to address the cost-of-living crisis. Register now➡️ www.eventbrite.com/e/what-can-d...

‘Immigrants could be found in every corner of the Irish Free State….the 1920s were quite a globalised world’. (John Gibney)

BBC Radio 4 - Currently, Licence to Hate - Racism on the Front Line Why is racist abuse towards health workers increasing?

'Licence to Hate - Racism on the Front Line' - BBC Radio 4 this Sunday 5th at 1.30pm
Examining whether racism is becoming more frequent and visible, with a focus on healthcare workers - incl discussion with our @sundersays.bsky.social
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Our research internships are an opportunity for anyone looking to start a career in policy to gain experience working on some of the thorniest problems that the UK government faces.

Watch as our 2025-26 cohort tell us more about the projects they work on - and what they are particularly proud of.

Earned settlement: retrospective change is wrong but prospective change is even worse Changing the rules for migrants already here is wrong and unfair but only affects a finite group of people. Extending default settlement to 10 years or more for everyone is a social policy disaster.

Changing the rules for migrants already here is wrong and unfair but only affects a finite group of people. Extending default settlement to 10 years or more for everyone is a social policy disaster. open.substack.com/pub/wewanted...

This is absolutely spot on from Emily Thornberry 👏

In an Istanbul market, I came across an old German phrase book – and a reminder of how not to speak to migrants | Carolin Würfel Turkish immigrants to Germany in the 60s were seen as temporary labour, not people. Today’s government in Berlin is at risk of repeating the mistake, says Carolin Würfel, a writer who lives in Berlin and Istanbul

In an Istanbul market, I came across an old German phrase book – and a reminder of how not to speak to migrants | Carolin Würfel