Sign in

Samira Shackle

@samirashackle.bsky.social
8.3K followers 342 following 509 posts

Freelance journalist (mostly for the Guardian Long Read) and author of Karachi Vice. I am also on Substack @samirashackle.

PostsRepliesMedia
Samira Shackle @samirashackle.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Thank you!
000
Reposted by Samira Shackle
John Ismay @johnismay.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Hat's off and well done to 11EOD. This piece by @samirashackle.bsky.social is one of the best I've ever read about modern #UXO response in densely-populated areas www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
theguardian.com
‘It could knock a whole street down’: the art of defusing a second world war bomb
The long read: On 14 January this year, army and navy squads faced an unprecedented challenge: one bomb on a Plymouth building site, another floating on a dredger in Exmouth. That afternoon, the clock...
141
Samira Shackle @samirashackle.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Thank you!
010
Reposted by Samira Shackle
John O’Shea @politicalhackuk.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
The everyday sort of courage - just getting on with the job of defusing 80 year old bombs and other explosive threats.
011
Samira Shackle @samirashackle.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Every year UK bomb disposal teams respond to an average of 2500 call outs. 2000 of those are related to unexploded munitions from WW2. My latest piece tells the story of two sizeable bombs found in a single day in Devon earlier this year www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
theguardian.com
‘It could knock a whole street down’: the art of defusing a second world war bomb
The long read: On 14 January this year, army and navy squads faced an unprecedented challenge: one bomb on a Plymouth building site, another floating on a dredger in Exmouth. That afternoon, the clock...
23621
Samira Shackle @samirashackle.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Fascinating, sad, gripping story by @maxdaly.bsky.social about his friend Duncan and his experience of being cuckooed www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
theguardian.com
A tale of two trap houses: being cuckooed ruined my friend’s life – but did it then help save him?
The long read: Drug gangs have moved off Britain’s streets and into vulnerable people’s homes. Addicts like my friend are easy targets, but the reality can be more complicated than it seems
061
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Ellie Mae O'Hagan @elliemaeohagan.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I am once again drawing your attention to some interesting research from Steve Akehurst and Persuasion UK
0104
Samira Shackle @samirashackle.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This is one of the saddest stories I've worked on. Luna Wong died by suicide 10 months after coming to the UK for boarding school. Her death exposes a series of safeguarding gaps. If this affected British children, I can't help but feel there would be more outcry www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
‘They accepted the money but didn’t take care of my child’: what Luna Wong’s death reveals about the treatment of international students in the UK
When her parents waved her off to study in England they hoped it would be a fresh start the 16-year-old needed after struggling with her mental health in Hong Kong. Instead, 10 months later, she was d...
1176
Samira Shackle @samirashackle.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Thank you Charlotte! It really is such a harrowing story, I can understand reading it in snippets.
120
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Charlotte Lydia Riley @lottelydia.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I'm having to read this story in little snippets, as it's so distressing -- more incredible reporting by @samirashackle.bsky.social who is doing the best work exploring the treatment of international pupils and students in the UK at the moment.
41911
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Sasha Talebi @sashat.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
127562
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Windows explorer @ktheexplorer.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
this story is fucking appalling - people often treat international students as cash cows, while building no infrastructure to support the mental health challenges of a young person living far from home - often for the first time, in a completely foreign culture www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
‘They accepted the money but didn’t take care of my child’: what Luna Wong’s death reveals about the treatment of international students in the UK
When her parents waved her off to study in England they hoped it would be a fresh start the 16-year-old needed after struggling with her mental health in Hong Kong. Instead, 10 months later, she was d...
1126
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Marta Zboralska @martazb.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
This resonated with me because I also moved to the UK at 16 to go to boarding school (on a scholarship). I was fine, but one needs a /very/ high degree of independence to move to another country alone at that age, and I don’t recall being given much support. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
‘They accepted the money but didn’t take care of my child’: what Luna Wong’s death reveals about the treatment of international students in the UK
When her parents waved her off to study in England they hoped it would be a fresh start the 16-year-old needed after struggling with her mental health in Hong Kong. Instead, 10 months later, she was d...
192
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Joel Chan @kjoules.org · 26/09/2026
A heartbreaking story by @samirashackle.bsky.social of Luna Wong, a young Hongkonger whose parents hoped that by sending her to boarding school in the UK she could recover from her mental health problems. She took her own life less than a year later www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
‘They accepted the money but didn’t take care of my child’: what Luna Wong’s death reveals about the treatment of international students in the UK
When her parents waved her off to study in England they hoped it would be a fresh start the 16-year-old needed after struggling with her mental health in Hong Kong. Instead, 10 months later, she was d...
0114
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Alona Ferber @aloner.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Britain's citizen's of nowhere - @samirashackle.bsky.social on the UK citizens made stateless www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/uk/...
prospectmagazine.co.uk
Britain’s citizens of nowhere
Hundreds of UK nationals have been made stateless, and left trapped in squalid refugee camps, without being convicted of any crime
112
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
‘This is playing into his hands’/‘this will allow him to play the martyr card’/‘this will help with his fundraising’ are all really bad takes. Criminals should be arrested and charged with crimes.
161775280
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Finally
1612325401
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Nick Davies @njdavies.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Great to hear the PM say “We are going to be much prouder in standing up for our values and the rule of law” re foreign information warfare. I wonder if he or the Home Secretary might consider doing the same when it comes to masked vigilantes shutting down infrastructure and harassing the RNLI
301472413
Samira Shackle @samirashackle.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Extraordinary.
1142
Samira Shackle @samirashackle.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Happy birthday!
100
Samira Shackle @samirashackle.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
If this doesn’t lead to prosecutions I genuinely don’t know what will.
0154
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Why has this live-streaming serial criminal not been arrested?
830387
Samira Shackle @samirashackle.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Shocking thread.
051
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Thousands of university jobs lost too, and barely a peep either.
381081332
Samira Shackle @samirashackle.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
This is correct
020
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
my brilliant colleague @robertshrimsley.bsky.social on the threat from Elon Musk’s X platform www.ft.com/content/f270...
6428121171
Samira Shackle @samirashackle.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
This is awful.
1156
Reposted by Samira Shackle
HK @hkesvani.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Not to be too on the nose here but can you imagine if a bunch of Muslims rocked up outside of a newspaper office like this, despite being far more justified in doing so
919231
Samira Shackle @samirashackle.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
How has this been allowed to continue and escalate like this?
031
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Sarah Collins @sarahelizacollins.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Please share amongst your network of new writers!
Prospect is looking for new voices who are prepared to work really hard on their writing. If you are interested, please email me at sarah.collins@prospectmagazine.co.uk with a single link to your best piece of writing. 

I don’t care where you have published your work, and I am not interested in prestigious bylines. I simply want to see one example of your writing style, whether that is on your own blog or Substack, for a student paper, in a zine, or anywhere else. And I am explicitly seeking new voices: if you are already writing professionally, this is not one for you—please pitch our usual inbox instead.  

Due to the volume of emails we usually receive at Prospect, I will only consider submissions that follow the exact format below—if you send me more links, or a CV, I will not consider your email. 

In the subject line: New Voices: Your name 

In the email: One single link to a piece of writing you are proud of. 

Unfortunately, I will only be able to reply to writers with whom I would like to discuss a future paid writing opportunity. If you don’t hear from me this time, please don’t be discouraged!
032
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Lizzie Dearden @lizziedearden.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Incidents like this have happened with increasing regularity over the past couple of years, with many triggered by local misinformation about the arrival of non-white people at hotels But it has also happened elsewhere, including a church gathering in a park and a Scout trip to an activity centre
14340141
Samira Shackle @samirashackle.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I laughed out loud at this.
071
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Rebecca Solnit @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I think I noted during the recent Belfast riots that a certain kind of man is not really interested in protecting women & girls; he's interested in protecting the exclusive right of his kind of man to abuse and control women and girls.
412795620
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
One reason England does so well is our second generation immigrants outperform their peers which is not true in most OECD countries. We are also very good at integration. And it's v sad that this is never acknowledge in debates on immigration.
602405852
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Katie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 08/09/2026
is this a serious question? i feel like i'm on drugs, nothing makes any damn sense
2040388
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Even leaving any politics at all aside: as general rule, no state can allow a group of masked men to be able to close down critical infrastructure. This is basic stuff.
112607504
Samira Shackle @samirashackle.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I find this kind of thing so deeply worrying.
1163
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Robinson is far from alone. Had police on talking about the ‘peaceful protesters’ and, so far, Labour’s response to Dover and Portsmouth has been to talk about understanding the protesters These are literal street fascists!
391166224
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
2) and 3) are intimately linked, in that the BBC (the organisation that really matters in the modern environment) treats 'claims by rival parties' as the operating frame for how it covers everything. The failure from Labour and the Conservatives to say 'this stuff is bad' is really, really bad.
341090340
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Jonn Elledge @jonnelledge.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
I simply do not understand what's going on in Labour that renders its leaders incapable of finding a TV camera and speaking out against street violence. Even if you assume they agree about immigration, violence is wrong, unpopular AND against the interests of any even vaguely left wing govt.
1312689711
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 03/09/2026
We are currently clean on OPSEC!
658281
Samira Shackle @samirashackle.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Not the main point of the doc but the guy from JL Partners comes off TERRIBLY.
0101
Reposted by Samira Shackle
James Butler @piercepenniless.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The decline of apex predator, the 'Fake Sheikh', has led to much laxer behaviour among its traditional prey.
18519
Samira Shackle @samirashackle.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Usually undercover docs struggle to get a smoking gun but the Channel 4 Reform one they’re just like “hey, I’ve got some really good suggestions for how we could break the law together - we have a lot of experience of this because of all the other crimes we committed”
0276
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Jay Zedbee @jayzedbee.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Channel 4 reporter: Hello. I am Mr. Alias and this is my extremely suspicious comically large donation that i can only make in the form of a bag of money with a dollar sign on it. every other reform guy: seems legit! let me tell you every single way in which i and my boss have broken the law
191496327
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 01/09/2026
A liberal is a conservative who just got mugged by the police
702868593
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Alex von Tunzelmann @alexvont.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
This whole piece is absolutely wild. Of course we know renters are treated appallingly at the bottom end of the scale, but look how even these people paying £4300 a month (!!) for a one-bed flat (!!!) can’t get their landlords to behave decently
Some buildings have loosened their rules in the wake of the Renters' Rights Act, such as no longer charging fees to have pets, said Karen Standing, who oversees the build-to-rent segment at estate agency Hamptons.
Shard Place does not allow pets, except for guide dogs. Under the Renters' Rights Act, the Labour government's flagship effort to help renters, landlords cannot have a blanket ban on pets.Instead, almost immediately, tenants encountered snags. Rubbish could only be placed in the building's chutes before 5pm, when tenants were often at work. The pool had to be booked and was often unavailable.
Food-delivery drivers were barred from entering the building or leaving items with the concierge. Guests had to be fetched from reception and were not permitted to use the pool.In another instance, a tenant wanted a key card so their partner could enter the flat without them. Knight Frank, one of the estate agents responsible for letting the building, suggested adding the person to the lease.
"But we had only been dating for four months, the tenant told the FT. "It would have been crazy ... We could break up tomorrow, and then what would I do if they had a right to reside here?"One issue that united residents earlier this year was internet access. After mistakenly charging some residents a lower fee, or in some cases nothing, the building told tenants in March it would charge £60 a month for internet use.
Residents balked at the short notice, the inability to choose their own internet provider and the price. Average entry-level broadband prices in the UK are about £25 a month, according to Enders Analysis.
6330108
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Frances Ryan @francesryan.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
It took me a fortnight but I made the Substack newsletter! PRESS ACCESS: tips and advice for journalists who want to break into the industry but don’t see people who look like them there. Subscribe for free: open.substack.com/pub/frances336
An illustration of me - a blonde,white wheelchair user - sitting at a desk. There are details dotted around the image, such as my books on the shelf behind me and a Guardian newspaper on the desk.
12514
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
A very clear exanple of a national media outlet always looking for an UP/spike/high headline (with immigration down, asylum down, boats down, hotels down). Settlement at +5 years is up after 2021-24 migration peak www.thetimes.com/article/7f2a...
thetimes.com
Number of migrants applying to settle in UK at 16-year high
Reforms set to be introduced this autumn by Shabana Mahmood will double the time migrants must wait to obtain indefinite leave to remain
615955
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Fun @funkelly.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
this is one of my favorite visual jokes of all time. i think about it several times a week.
363013765