Charlie Whelton
@cwhelton.bsky.social
Human rights type, doing policy & campaigns at Liberty.
Find someone who loves you as much as Tony Blair loves ID cards.
January 31, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Find someone who loves you as much as Tony Blair loves ID cards.
Some very good news from Asylum Aid. The Safety of Rwanda Act was a nasty and nonsensical affront to the rule of law and the UK’s international obligations. Good riddance.
🚨 We are pleased to share that the Home Secretary has confirmed the govt will repeal Safety of Rwanda Act 2024, in response to our legal challenge to the Rwanda plan.
While the Labour govt had already announced that no one would be sent to Rwanda, the Act remains on the statute books. 1/4
While the Labour govt had already announced that no one would be sent to Rwanda, the Act remains on the statute books. 1/4
January 29, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Some very good news from Asylum Aid. The Safety of Rwanda Act was a nasty and nonsensical affront to the rule of law and the UK’s international obligations. Good riddance.
Reposted by Charlie Whelton
🎉 HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Katy Watts for being named in Big Issue's Top 100 Changemakers of 2025!
She's leading the fight against Government anti-protest laws that were ruled unlawful in our landmark legal challenge.
#DefendDemocracy
She's leading the fight against Government anti-protest laws that were ruled unlawful in our landmark legal challenge.
#DefendDemocracy
January 28, 2025 at 3:57 PM
🎉 HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Katy Watts for being named in Big Issue's Top 100 Changemakers of 2025!
She's leading the fight against Government anti-protest laws that were ruled unlawful in our landmark legal challenge.
#DefendDemocracy
She's leading the fight against Government anti-protest laws that were ruled unlawful in our landmark legal challenge.
#DefendDemocracy
The retention of custody images of people never even charged with a crime is made even more concerning by the growth of unregulated and dangerous facial recognition technology. The police must urgently correct this serious intrusion on people's privacy.
This is a CONCERNING use of facial recognition tech
"The police need to answer as to why they are still holding this highly personal data more than 10 years after the courts said this is against the law." - @cwhelton.bsky.social
Read the full story ⬇️
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024...
"The police need to answer as to why they are still holding this highly personal data more than 10 years after the courts said this is against the law." - @cwhelton.bsky.social
Read the full story ⬇️
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024...
Police unlawfully storing images of innocent people for facial recognition
Privacy fears raised as report warns photographs of arrested people who are then released are being retained
www.theguardian.com
December 11, 2024 at 4:09 PM
The retention of custody images of people never even charged with a crime is made even more concerning by the growth of unregulated and dangerous facial recognition technology. The police must urgently correct this serious intrusion on people's privacy.
Reposted by Charlie Whelton
We had hoped right up until this week that the new Home Secretary would see sense and drop her predecessor’s appeal. Unfortunately not!
December 4, 2024 at 8:04 AM
We had hoped right up until this week that the new Home Secretary would see sense and drop her predecessor’s appeal. Unfortunately not!
We at Liberty are back in court today protecting your rights against the new government’s defence of the last government’s dodgy laws.
Katy has led all this work. If you’re interested in the right to protest and our attempts to hold the government to account, follow her.
Katy has led all this work. If you’re interested in the right to protest and our attempts to hold the government to account, follow her.
Liberty is back in Court today, defending our win against the last government’s attempt to circumvent Parliament and change the meaning of ‘serious disruption’ by the back door.
December 4, 2024 at 8:16 AM
We at Liberty are back in court today protecting your rights against the new government’s defence of the last government’s dodgy laws.
Katy has led all this work. If you’re interested in the right to protest and our attempts to hold the government to account, follow her.
Katy has led all this work. If you’re interested in the right to protest and our attempts to hold the government to account, follow her.
Seven hundred and fifteen million pounds. The cost is obviously not what is wrong with the Rwanda scheme, but nonetheless that figure is extraordinary.
In July, I FOI'd the Home Office for the full breakdown of spending on the Rwanda scheme
I was refused because the government planned to publish the data in future, and today is the day. These numbers are in millions
www.gov.uk/government/p...
I was refused because the government planned to publish the data in future, and today is the day. These numbers are in millions
www.gov.uk/government/p...
December 2, 2024 at 5:52 PM
Seven hundred and fifteen million pounds. The cost is obviously not what is wrong with the Rwanda scheme, but nonetheless that figure is extraordinary.
Reposted by Charlie Whelton
If you'd like to stay up to date with UK immigration issues on BlueSky, we've created this new Starter Pack!
This is a list of excellent organisations and experts working at the forefront of immigration in the UK, so please follow them to stay up to date on these crucial issues:
go.bsky.app/gzfKcc
This is a list of excellent organisations and experts working at the forefront of immigration in the UK, so please follow them to stay up to date on these crucial issues:
go.bsky.app/gzfKcc
November 19, 2024 at 2:22 PM
If you'd like to stay up to date with UK immigration issues on BlueSky, we've created this new Starter Pack!
This is a list of excellent organisations and experts working at the forefront of immigration in the UK, so please follow them to stay up to date on these crucial issues:
go.bsky.app/gzfKcc
This is a list of excellent organisations and experts working at the forefront of immigration in the UK, so please follow them to stay up to date on these crucial issues:
go.bsky.app/gzfKcc
Reposted by Charlie Whelton
Our client was one of the last on the plane to Rwanda in June 2022. Worth remembering that if it weren’t for the European Court, he & other asylum seekers wd’ve been unlawfully sent to Rwanda where they cd’ve been exposed to a variety of human rights abuses incl return to their countries of origin.
November 15, 2023 at 10:44 AM
Our client was one of the last on the plane to Rwanda in June 2022. Worth remembering that if it weren’t for the European Court, he & other asylum seekers wd’ve been unlawfully sent to Rwanda where they cd’ve been exposed to a variety of human rights abuses incl return to their countries of origin.
Reposted by Charlie Whelton
Reposted by Charlie Whelton
Fun seeing who has and hasn't read the Supreme Court judgment based on which people are just continuing to witter on about the ECHR.
November 15, 2023 at 11:34 AM
Fun seeing who has and hasn't read the Supreme Court judgment based on which people are just continuing to witter on about the ECHR.
Reposted by Charlie Whelton
The Supreme Court explicitly states that today's Rwanda appeal decision does not depend on ECHR.
In other words: UK leaving ECHR would not make a difference to this decision.
In other words: UK leaving ECHR would not make a difference to this decision.
November 15, 2023 at 11:46 AM
The Supreme Court explicitly states that today's Rwanda appeal decision does not depend on ECHR.
In other words: UK leaving ECHR would not make a difference to this decision.
In other words: UK leaving ECHR would not make a difference to this decision.
Very pleased that the Rwanda plan has been ruled unlawful. Listening to Lord Reed today, it’s amazing it could even have been in doubt. Full judgment here:
www.supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2...
www.supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2...
R (on the application of AAA and others) (Respondents/Cross Appellants) v Secretary of State for the...
Case details
www.supremecourt.uk
November 15, 2023 at 10:21 AM
Very pleased that the Rwanda plan has been ruled unlawful. Listening to Lord Reed today, it’s amazing it could even have been in doubt. Full judgment here:
www.supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2...
www.supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2...