Just beads in a glass jar: this is how the Tories dehumanise migrants and those in need | Frances Ryan

Just beads in a glass jar: this is how the Tories dehumanise migrants and those in need | Frances Ryan

Briefly

"There is a video doing the rounds on social media in which Conservative MP Katie Lam pours beads into glass jars. Each bead represents 1,000 migrants and we are led to assume the containers they sit in, Britain. As Lam points to the number of people on indefinite leave to remain (ILR) and all the welfare and services they have access to, a jar ominously overflows."

"This is not just a social media clip from a rogue shadow minister. It is potentially actual Conservative policy. In recent days, the party has confirmed it would retrospectively strip residency rights (otherwise known as ILR) from people who claim benefits or whose dependents do, even if they have lived here for decades. On Wednesday, after a large backlash, officials said a new policy would be produced in the coming weeks but refused to rule out removing ILR."

"I thought of this as I read research out on Thursday by the charity Turn2us that outlines how decades of negative attitudes and distrust towards social security have been baked into the system's design. Researchers found that 64% of current claimants believe the Department for Work and Pensions is trying to catch them out. It is a damning indictment of past governments' assaults on the safety net and a vital guide to Labour as it eyes up another go at so-called welfare reform."