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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Nobody who regularly goes to football matches wants this changed I don't want to be covered in beer every time we score because people are performatively doing "limbs"

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Make sure you sign up for this year's Migration Stats User Forum, which will be chaired by none other than me. As always, there will be some really interesting discussions about migration data.

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Migration Observatory @migobs.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

In July, 43% of the public said immigration was an important issue affecting the UK, more than any other topic. Take a look at our updated public attitudes briefing to see how views vary towards different migrant groups and who is more likely to hold positive/negative attitudes toward immigration.

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

This is a really good episode that discusses all you need to know about the impact of migration on the UK's public finances

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Very happy to have contributed the chapter on migration with Peter Walsh. We outline the political debate around asylum and discuss how the fall in net migration may affect the UK economy

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Complete head loss in this second half. Won't define our season, but the good feeling after Sunderland has taken a bit of a battering... #itfc

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Great album. The Other Side of Make Believe was a letdown, but this is a real return to form open.spotify.com/album/2LgXUD...

open.spotify.com

This Mirror Weighs a Ton - Album by Interpol | Spotify

Interpol · album · 2026 · 12 songs

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Migration Observatory @migobs.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Reports that small shops and takeaways have hired migrants on Skilled Worker visas have appeared in several media outlets recently. Our new Q&A explains why these employers were able to sponsor migrants, how many actually did, whether the government could ban them from using the visa system + more.

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

@mark-heath.bsky.social Looks like you'd better start writing a CV. You're gonna need it when Chat KOA takes over next season

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Madeleine Sumption @msumption.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Brilliantly comprehensive analysis of migration & crime from @benbrindle.bsky.social I learnt all sorts of things, eg that 60% of Albanians' criminal convictions were drug offences, non-citizens rarely get bail, and there's almost zero data on how many ppl liable for deportation aren't removed

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Migration Observatory @migobs.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

We've updated our briefing on migrants and crime in the UK It looks at whether foreign nationals are more or less likely to be convicted than British citizens, and how many foreign national offenders are removed after serving their sentences Here are the key points.

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Ben Zaranko @benzaranko.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

This week's newsletter is out. What zero-sum thinkers get wrong about migration (with the help of some friendly stereotypes about British Poles); the wonder of the pineapple; the economic importance of silver; and the latest in the great UK productivity debate. Sign up: observer.co.uk/newsletters

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

How much do migrants receive in Universal Credit payments? In the year ending March 2026, the DWP made £80 billion in UC payments – 8.3% (or £6.7bn) was paid to households with at least one EEA-national claimant and 7.7% (or £6.2bn) to households with at least one non-EEA-national claimant.

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Which sports use International Sportsperson visas? Cricket clubs, by quite some distance. They made up 57% of sponsors in the year ending June 2025. Note that this is the number of organisations sponsoring, not the number of IS visas granted. The Home Office wouldn't give me that info.

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Madeleine Sumption @msumption.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Interesting piece from BBC on vape shops & others still registered to sponsor migrant workers I was on Radio 4 at 6.45am to explain why. It's an unintended consequence of post-Brexit expansion that made mid-skilled jobs (eg electricians etc) eligible www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Car washes and vape shops can still sponsor skilled foreign workers despite visa changes

The rules were tightened in July 2025 to restrict the scheme mostly to graduate-level employees who would be earning at least £41,700.

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Migration Observatory @migobs.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

The Migration Advisory Committee has published its recommendation on which middle-skill jobs should be eligible for temporary work visas via the Temporary Shortage List. The headline? Welders and other more technical jobs are in. Jobs that are more generic (e.g., Business sales executives) are out.

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Between Jan 2021 and March 2026, 52k international students switched into the care sector (44% of people who switched from study to work visas). Will these study-to-care switchers stay in the sector? That will depend on whether the qualifying period for ILR is increased from 5 to 15 years... (1/2)

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

33% of the half added on. How?!

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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

What's great about VAR is that it makes the matchday experience worse while we still have clear and obvious errors.

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

A World Cup final in daylight just doesn't look right

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Since 2021, 160,000 Hong Kongers have migrated to the UK via the humanitarian BNO visa route. Our new briefing looks at BNOs’ characteristics, their economic outcomes, and how many expect to stay in the UK long term. migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/br...

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Turns out that inviting pressure from the best player who has ever lived isn't a great tactic

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

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Migration Observatory @migobs.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

In 2025, just over 100,000 people claimed asylum in the UK. Our updated briefing explains who claims asylum, how these people come to the UK, whether their claims are successful, and much more. migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/br...

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Really interesting piece by Martin Samuel in The Times related to the fact that almost a quarter of players at this World Cup are foreign-born. He says it's evidence that the international game now behaves much more like the club game. www.thetimes.com/article/b0d2...

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Danielle Blake @abradacabla.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

This. Is. England.

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

That was one of the best football matches I have ever seen, but also one of the most horrible experiences of my life

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Sooz Kempner @soozuk.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Exclusive footage of England v Mexico.

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

The ONS Research Excellence Awards 2026 are open! The awards recognise and celebrate innovative work led by researchers, so make sure you apply if your work uses secure ONS data. More info here:

content.govdelivery.com

ONS Research Excellence Awards 2026 now open - apply today

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Migration Observatory @migobs.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

How does migration affect the UK’s public finances? Overall, the impacts are small, but people on different immigration routes have significantly different impacts. Here’s why, in 3 posts…

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Great to see @adamjst.bsky.social's excellent analysis of foreign-born players at the 2026 World Cup included here.

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

In 2021, foreign nationals were slightly less likely to live in social housing than British citizens. However, the share of new social housing lettings in England to non-UK nationals has increased in recent years, likely due to their rising share in the population.

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Nearly a quarter of players at this year's World Cup were born in a different country from the one they're representing. But do teams with more migrant players perform better on the pitch? @adamjst.bsky.social and I looked at the evidence. www.compas.ox.ac.uk/article/has-...

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Nooooooo. Please don't say it's true. I love McKenna – he made football fun again (and #itfc good)

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Foreign-born players make up the majority of footballers in eight of the World Cup's 48 squads. At the top of that list is Curaçao, where almost all of the squad were born in the Netherlands (96%). theconversation.com/how-migratio...

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Adam Sawyer @adamjst.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

8 of the 48 participating countries in the 2026 MWC have more foreign-born players than non-foreign-born players named to their squad. Highest proportions of players born abroad: Curaçao (96%) Democratic Republic of the Congo (85%) Morocco (73%)

This year's expanded World Cup will feature more foreign-born players than any previous edition. Nearly one in four of the 1,248 players selected for national teams were born in a different country from the one they will represent (Figure 1). In some squads, the proportions are far higher – 96% of Curaçao's players were born abroad, as were 85% of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s and 73% of Morocco’s. Overall, foreign-born players make up the majority of footballers in eight of the tournament's 48 squads.

However, migration has been part of the World Cup story since its inception. In 1938, for example, 12% of players represented a country other than the one in which they were born, in part because FIFA didn’t introduce regulations governing football players’ eligibility for national teams until 1962. This meant it was not uncommon for players to represent multiple countries throughout their careers.

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

I spoke to BBC More or Less about whether migrants will get half of new homes built since mid-2024. As always, it's a bit more complicated than that... You can listen here: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

bbc.co.uk

More or Less - Debunking the claim that migrants will get half of new homes - BBC Sounds

Tim Harford investigates migration and housing, Welsh literacy, and bond market drama.

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

I'm against most changes to the rules of football (see VAR), but this makes a lot of sense. A massive advantage to a team that wins a coin toss. At the very least, who takes first should be decided by, say, who had more shots on target

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Since 2024, the earnings of new non-EU employees (relative to the median) have fallen back significantly, despite the fact that restrictions introduced in 2024/2025 made the work visa system more selective. Why?

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Migration Observatory @migobs.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

UK net migration fell sharply in 2025 to 171,000, down 82% from the historical high in early 2023. Want to know what drove the fall and what might happen to net migration in the years ahead? We've got you covered in our updated briefing. migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/br...

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Waffle 🧇 @wafflecut.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Every couple months I check in on the latest Adrian Chiles articles and I’m always absolutely blown away. These are all from the last couple months. The man is operating at an incredibly high level.

Opinion
When I want to feel loved, Ijust go to a hardware store
Adrian Chiles

Opinion
The best filing system? The one where every piece of paper goes in the bin
Adrian Chiles

Opinion
I can't stop pilfering from other people's plates - but don't even think about grabbing my chips
Adrian Chiles

I thought my pigeon curse was lifting. Then it took a darker turn
Adrian Chiles

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Yesterday’s migration figures showed a sharp fall in net migration and a decline in asylum claims. But what explains the changes, and will these trends continue? New from me for @uk.theconversation.com theconversation.com/net-migratio...

theconversation.com

Net migration and asylum claims have fallen – here’s what the latest figures tell us

While net migration is on a downward trajectory, it is still positive, meaning that the foreign-born population continues to grow.

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