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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog

@blogwyatt.bsky.social
4.3K followers 2.5K following 1.8K posts

Derrick Wyatt KC, retired Oxford professor and lawyer Law and Politics Geopolitics and how to cope with Trump and Putin Blog at derrickwyatt.substack.com

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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
www.politico.eu/article/tony... UK should join "a Europe on a credible path to reform, a Europe of nation states, a Europe capable of being a genuine global power.” But nation states would surely need to give up some vetoes in foreign policy/defence for the EU to become a genuine global power?
politico.eu
Blair presses Burnham to back return to a reformed EU
The former British prime minister says Brussels must be on a “credible path to reform” if the U.K. is to rejoin the bloc.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
To be neutral between aggressors and those they seek to subjugate is to reject both a legal and moral compass.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
At the UN Trump attacked the ICC, which, BTW, has issued warrants for suspects Putin (deportation of children from Ukraine), and Netanyahu (using starvation as a method of warfare in Gaza). Trump says he wants to protect US troops from the ICC, but he may be as keen to protect Putin and Netanyahu.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/... Solution with least friction would be to agree with Trump that the deal would not go forward without US consent. That has always been the position in practice.
bbc.co.uk
'We need a resolution' on Chagos Islands, says Burnham
As Donald Trump criticises the Chagos deal, Andy Burnham says "we'll work hard" to find a resolution.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
www.e-ir.org/p/hard-power... President Trump says Andy Burnham is a man he can do business with, but the Chagos islands are "strategically important" and the Chagos deal is a "terrible deal". But is it? I look at realpolitik as well as law, and give it a thumbs up. @e-international.bsky.social
e-ir.org
Hard Power and Legitimacy in the Chagos Archipelago
Derrick Wyatt
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Natia Seskuria says it is unlikely that more mobilisation "alone would trigger regime change" but it could combine to "seriously erode the Kremlin’s ability to maintain the appearance of normality." Regime change might be coming Perhaps Putin's successor would agree to a just peace for Ukraine.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Few thoughts Glad Tories are coming up/better them than Reform for the UK's right-wing party/I still suspect Farage of being soft on Putin The moderate left vote is Labour/Lib Dems -polls show Labour/Lib opinions always close Greens plain daft on economics and defence Rupert Lowe = Le Pen senior
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Lisa 🇨🇦 @pinkmouse.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Trump, reacting on Wed. to the potential alliance between Ottawa & Brussels, said the move could be perceived as “a hostile act.” Mr. Carney countered on Thursday, saying: “This alliance is a positive process. That’s my response to the American president." #TrumpStayInYouLane #Blues #SheShed
nytimes.com
Carney Calls for E.U.-Canada Pact Amid ‘Ferocious Storm’ (Gift Article)
Prime Minister Mark Carney told European lawmakers that an alliance would help to secure sovereignty and independence for his country. The moves come amid a historic low for U.S. ties with Canada.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Legally right, and ethically right. If it is wrong it is wrong only in inviting retaliation from an Israel which is guilty of the shameful and illegal treatment of Palestinians on the West Bank, and from a US President who lacks both a legal and moral compass.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... For what it is worth, I would have gone on strike too.
bbc.co.uk
Eiffel Tower shut by staff strike over female workers being moved for religious visit
An investigation will be launched into the incident, which left female employees "humiliated", a union representative says.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
The trouble with electoral reform is that it can get bogged down with arguments about which system to use A fast-track transitional stage would be to weight the votes of MPs in the House of Commons to reflect the strength of their parties in the last election Instant PR Then review electoral system
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Trump's envoys are in Kiev to get a deal for Trump to distract from his gridlock in Iran But a deal will mean pressuring Zelensky to the surrender-peace Putin wants At least Zelensky has British, French and German security advisers on hand He needs someone on his side
bbc.co.uk
Russia-Ukraine war: US envoys begin Ukraine talks after Putin meeting
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrive in Kyiv, having held talks with Putin in Moscow on Saturday.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
asiatimes.com/2026/09/time... @billemmott.bsky.social on regime change in Russia "It's a small chance, but countries should be making contingency plans just in case" So perhaps the UK and Europe should start telling Putin's potential successors that Russia would benefit from a just peace for Ukraine
asiatimes.com
Time to start preparing for a post-Putin Russia - Asia Times
One lesson from the history of the Soviet Union is that dictatorships can last a very long time even if their economic basis is weak. But another is that
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp... As Trump's envoys push Zelensky towards a surrender peace with Putin, I suggest in this blog how Europe could join the process - signal to Putin’s potential successors that they can expect a strategic partnership with Europe if Russia makes a just peace with Ukraine.
blogs.lse.ac.uk
Burnham should urge a new deal for Russia after a just peace for Ukraine | LSE British Politics
Putin’s potential successors should be told they can expect a strategic partnership with Europe if Russia makes a just peace with Ukraine
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Trump dominates a pro-Putin Ukraine surrender/peace process, despite Putin's weakness at home The UK and Europe should launch an alternative peace process, by talking up the prospects of a political and economic reset with Russia when a post-Putin leadership has made a just peace with Ukraine.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Russia has tried to attack a plane with supplies for Ukraine at a German airport, and threatened to attack a British factory supplying Ukraine This is beyond hybrid warfare into open warfare and Andy Burnham needs to warn the public that some kind of military conflict with Russia is likely.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Putin would only go nuclear over Ukraine if he thought nothing else would save his political skin, and if he thought that, he wouldn't ask Beijing's permission first.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
derrickwyatt.substack.com/p/the-uk-and... The UK and Europe should be talking up a partnership with Russia, once the war is over, and a new Russian government has made a clean break with the leaders responsible for invading Ukraine.
derrickwyatt.substack.com
The UK and Europe should be nudging Russia towards regime change
Putin’s potential successors should be told they can expect a strategic partnership with Europe if Russia makes a just peace with Ukraine.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/05/14/k... Good read from former Russian diplomat. The UK and its allies should send signals to those members of the Russian elite who would see a future for themselves in a post-Putin world, in which Ukraine gets a just peace, and Russia gets a new normal with Europe.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 24/08/2026
⚡️New British PM, other Western leaders arrive in Kyiv as Ukraine marks Independence Day. "For Ukraine, independence is not an abstract idea. We defended it against all odds. In times like these, nations learn how important it is to have allies by your side," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
kyivindependent.com
New British PM, other Western leaders arrive in Kyiv as Ukraine marks Independence Day
"For Ukraine, independence is not an abstract idea. We defended it against all odds. In times like these, nations learn how important it is to have allies by your side," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha...
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
www.dw.com/en/could-rus... Some think the Ukraine war could end in weeks if Ukraine's allies offered the backing for a doubling or tripling of attacks. (And perhaps the UK and its allies should tell Putin's successors in waiting how much better things could get after a just peace in Ukraine).
dw.com
Could Russia's growing fuel crisis help end the Ukraine war?
Empty pumps, long waits: Attacks on oil refineries have left Russia increasingly short of fuel. Dissident Russian economists say growing anger about shortages among ordinary Russians could help end th...
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026... France broadcasts its successes against small boats. (The UK should target the potential customers of the people traffickers via social media with footage of the French police blocking small boats and of the tragic capsizings and deaths in the channel)
theguardian.com
Footage shows clash with French police on beach as dinghy tries to leave for UK
Film emerges as France says it has stopped 185 small boat ‘events’ in three months since new £660m deal with UK
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrain... Putin could potentially attack NATO within weeks, according to new US intelligence An attack would likely be limited in scope, with the aim of undermining unity and testing the resolve of individual NATO countries rather than threatening a major war.
atlanticcouncil.org
Western weakness is encouraging Putin to test NATO
As Moscow's hybrid war against NATO continues to escalate, the alliance's reluctance to impose any additional costs on the Kremlin will only only embolden Putin and fuel Russian perceptions of Western...
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
carnegieendowment.org/russia-euras... Russia is approaching a political crossroads "Will it take the path of escalation...or internal restructuring and a post-Putin world?" Europe should be thinking about nudging the Russian elite into regime change and Andy Burnham should start the ball rolling.
carnegieendowment.org
Russia Is Approaching a Political Crossroads
Two divergent trends—Putin’s hardline vision of how to prosecute the war in Ukraine, and a growing desire for change in Russia—could tear the regime apart.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Burnham will be confident and sensitive to how allies and the public react to his decisions, and is likely to strengthen links with Europe and clash with Trump Just the man to urge European allies to offer closer links with Russia to Putin's successor after a just peace in Ukraine? Blog soon.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Bolton sees no signs yet of Putin's removal from power, but he floats the possibility In 2022 he called, somewhat fancifully, for regime change in Moscow An end to the Ukraine war by Putin's removal is not out of the question Could a bold European vision of links with a new Russia tip the odds?
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/... Thoughtful article from Badenoch that raises cross-party issues about rehabilitation.
thetimes.com
Kemi Badenoch: We must believe offenders can be rehabilitated
Controversy about our council candidate raises the same question as Andy Burnham’s prisoner release scheme: what do punishment and rehabilitation actually mean?
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Shipwreck @shipwreck75.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Iran’s top security official said the Strait of Hormuz would not reopen until the U.S. met a sweeping list of demands, including withdraw the U.S. military from around Iran, pay war reparations and release frozen Iranian assets. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/08/w...
nytimes.com
Iran Issues List of Demands, Dampening Hopes of Reopening Strait of Hormuz
The head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said that the waterway will remain closed until the United States met certain conditions.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
www.theguardian.com/environment/... Exploiting tiny Jackdaw/Rosebank reserves will not boost emissions at home or abroad but it will offer UK jobs and tax revenue The UK should prioritise renewables/nuclear for baseload/updating the grid/ to ensure UK independence in energy supply + move to net zero
theguardian.com
Sadiq Khan calls on Andy Burnham to commit to climate action as pressure grows over North Sea oil
London mayor points to ‘terrifying scenes’ this summer amid speculation Burnham may back Jackdaw and Rosebank projects
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... The Arday/Cambridge fiasco needs to be put under the microscope Let's not forget that exposure and criticism has come from the left (Guardian) as well as the right (Times/Telegraph) Culture wars aren't worth fighting - mistakes are worth owning up to and fixing.
bbc.co.uk
Cambridge to review process for hiring senior academics after Jason Arday resignation
Prof Priyamvada Gopal, who is part of the group, says Cambridge should not be "marking its own homework".
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
sports.yahoo.com/articles/wal...
sports.yahoo.com
Trump will do ‘everything possible’ to save Infantino
Donald Trump will do “everything possible” to save Gianni Infantino from being toppled as Fifa president over his plan to sell stakes in the World Cup, insiders claim.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba... The battle for world football is a battle between sport and Trump and his proxies. Infantino awarded Trump a FIFA peace prize and reversed a red card for Team US at Trump's request. Trump is backing Infantino and that is why Mexico and Argentina are doing so too.
bbc.co.uk
Gianni Infantino: Norway call for Fifa president to resign but Mexico and Argentina show support
The Norwegian Football Federation calls for Fifa president Gianni Infantino to resign after he attempted to sell off stakes in the World Cup.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
www.thetimes.com/us/american-... If Trump was a Russian mole, it is difficult to imagine what he would be doing differently. He tried to bully Zelensky into surrender, started a war which could hand the strait of Hormuz to Iran, and has run US forces out of ammunition. Keep it up, Vladimir Trump.
thetimes.com
Trump ‘berates Pete Hegseth’ as US runs out of missiles
Severe depletion of stockpiles after five months of war with Iran is thought to have led the president to call off strikes
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
cphpost.dk/2026-08-05/n... Danish Minister says the migrant influx from Morocco to Ceuta is linked to Russian influence and hybrid warfare He might be right Morocco an "important strategic partner" says Russia on the day of the influx Morocco FM Bourita in regular touch with Russian FM Lavrov
cphpost.dk
EU saw Russian hybrid war signs in Ceuta migrant flow - The Copenhagen Post
The recent migration flow from Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta is directly linked to Russian influence and hybrid warfare. According to Minister for Immigration and Integration Morten Bødskov ...
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Whether Badenoch was right politically to back a former and now repentant neo-Nazi as a Tory council candidate, she was right morally, if she is convinced that the scale of the crime, serving his sentence, and his repentance, justify it. Whether victims can forgive is a matter for them alone.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
But the former neo-Nazi Brit has repented of his crimes, unlike Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who was convicted (at the age of 32) of crimes of incitement to racism and supporting a terror organisation, but has never apologised.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a... Cui Bono? The populist right around Europe And elsewhere - like Israel and the US And the country which wants to see the populist right in Europe tear Europe apart, and see Europe tear itself apart - Russia Which has close links with strategic partner Morocco
theguardian.com
Why Spain’s EU allies turned on Pedro Sanchez over Ceuta: the hard right now sets their agenda on migration
Rightwing narratives have gone mainstream, and Madrid finds itself increasingly isolated for its humane approach to migrants
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
www.thetimes.com/world/middle... The unthinkable is beginning to emerge - Trump's war with Iran ends with Iran gaining some sort of control over the strait of Hormuz which it never had before.
thetimes.com
Trump talks up Hormuz deal, but will he cede too much to Iran?
As Tehran could end up managing the Strait of Hormuz with Oman, an expert says: ‘The kind of deal that would allow Trump to save face is not on the table’
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Two of the world's most powerful AI tools created fake human profiles to try and trick people in attempted cyber-attacks, the UK's AI Security Institute (AISI) has revealed.
bbc.co.uk
Anthropic AI created fake profiles to deceive people in attempted hack
The UK's AI Safety Institute said recent behaviour from Anthropic and OpenAI models was malicious and unprecedented.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2... This piece suggests that Morocco facilitated the influx from its territory into Spanish Ceuta as a political move, designed to punish Spain, and/or please Moroccan allies Israel and the US. There is another ally Morocco might want to please - Russia.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Trump's ill-judged war gave Iran a taste for charging tolls on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz Iran is talking to Oman (across the strait) about what to do now Trump is out of the loop This is bad news for the UK and Europe as well as Iran's neighbours and the US
bbc.co.uk
Iran says it is in talks with Oman but not the US after Trump says negotiations to resume
Iran's remarks that there were no talks with the US prompts Donald Trump to issue a strong condemnation of its leadership.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
www.thetimes.com/uk/science/a... Why not get together an international deep-space scientific consortium to fund the telescope, with the UK stumping up a quarter of current costs, and retaining a golden share in any partnership that emerges?
thetimes.com
Musicians add star power to campaign to save Jodrell Bank
Brian May, Johnny Marr and Jarvis Cocker are among more than 200 public figures who have called on Andy Burnham to intervene over planned funding cuts
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... France has hit out at a Reform UK plan to return migrant boats using the Navy, saying the proposals would violate its sovereignty and breach international law. As even this blogger worked out as soon as Reform announced its unworkable and provocative policy.
bbc.co.uk
France hits out at Reform UK plan to return migrants using Royal Navy
It comes after the party said it would override French objections to return migrants to France.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Reform said it would use the Navy to forcibly return small boat migrants to French ports, even if France disagreed, and that this would be consistent with international law Wrong The Royal Navy boats would be warships and entitled only to pass through French waters
bbc.co.uk
Reform UK insists using Navy to stop migrant boats would be legal
The party says under its plan it would override French objections to return migrants to France.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Reform says it would have the Royal Navy intercept small boats in the Channel and forcibly return them to France. Reform claim the proposals would form the "largest military operation" in the Channel since World War Two. Against unarmed migrants and a close NATO ally.
bbc.co.uk
Reform says it would use Royal Navy to stop small boats
The party's home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf says it would be the "largest military operation in the English Channel since World War Two”.
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/... The Times refers to Lowe's demands that Reform agree to the mass deportation of illegal immigrants in the UK, a ban on the burqa and Halal meat, as well as a referendum on the death penalty. It does not mention Lowe also backs a ban on Kosher meat.
thetimes.com
Rupert Lowe offers Nigel Farage a deal to unite the ‘patriotic’ right
Restore leader says he will put personal differences aside if Reform UK agrees to adopt some of his policies and exclude former Tory ministers from any cabinet
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
www.theguardian.com/politics/202... I think Burnham is wrong about this. The UK does not need a "written constitution" It has one It is true that the rules and conventions are written down in different places and that it is messy and it is not dominated by judicial process. But it is flexible. 👍👍
theguardian.com
Devolution plans strengthen case for written UK constitution, says Burnham
PM argues for codified model of decentralisation that would fundamentally change centuries-old workings of state
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
www.thetimes.com/world/europe... "Given the way Morocco has previously used migration as leverage...the scale and speed of the crossings may reflect a deliberate signal from Rabat to Madrid." And from Moscow to Rabat, given Morocco's strategic partnership with Russia?
thetimes.com
Why are people fleeing Morocco? Spanish border crisis explained
Migrants seeking a better life see Ceuta as a gateway to the rest of Europe — but the events of the past week come after a new Spanish Supreme Court ruling
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Derrick Wyatt's Law and Policy Blog @blogwyatt.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
www.fdd.org/analysis/202... "The Kremlin’s exploitation of the migrant crisis helps Putin achieve his political objectives in countries like Poland and the Baltics, but no European state is immune from attack."
fdd.org
Weaponized Mass Migration
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