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Will Ford

@willfordosblaw.bsky.social
135 followers 262 following 31 posts

Legal aid solicitor specialising in housing, welfare benefits, public law, and community care. Also interested in nature and the great outdoors. Recovering X user.

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Reposted by Will Ford
Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
And honestly I don't give a fuck if it's popular or not. It's going to make a lot of kids' lives better. That's the point of government. Not an opinion poll.
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
The Home Secretary says "we have become the destination of choice in Europe, clearly visible to every people smuggler and would-be illegal migrant across the world" That is a factually untrue claim: the Home Office shows that the UK is fifth, getting 1/10 claims, while Germany gets 1/5 claims
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Zoe Gardner @zoejardiniere.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
When was the last time you heard a politician in the media asked anything like- -How will you make sure asylum seekers can reach the UK safely & refugees are protected? -How will you make sure people coming to this country to work or study are treated equally & with respect? I cannot remember.
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Will Ford @willfordosblaw.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Stop blaming migrants and tackle UK’s real problems, 100 charities tell home secretary
A letter warns Shabana Mahmood that ‘targeting refugees will do nothing to tackle’ problems with housing and the NHS
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Reposted by Will Ford
Sam Tims @sam-tims.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
Over 1.6m children are now impacted by the Two-Child Limit - 11.6% of all children This is a cruel policy that unnecessarily drags children into deeper levels of hardship It needs to go, and the longer it is kept, the greater the scarring effects on children's health and education will be
A graph showing the increase in the number of children impacted by the Two-Child Limit since April 2018
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Reposted by Will Ford
Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
The real test of Starmer is how he reacts to this rebellion. Two options: listen to the rebels and decide to govern like a Labour PM, or go all-out Blue Labour Faragist. One wins. The other makes Farage PM in 2029.
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Reposted by Will Ford
Dorian Lynskey @dorianlynskey.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
I broke my phone (but not my brain), saw 27 acts, walked for about 40 miles and wrote about it all for the New Cue
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Will Ford @willfordosblaw.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
theguardian.com
Mamdani’s defeat of Cuomo offers Democrats a path out of the wilderness
Mamdani signifies a generational change and rebuke to a party establishment grown complacent and hypocritical
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Reposted by Will Ford
Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
One reason the revolt on disability benefits is looking so substantial is the line being used to defend it lacks any integrity. To claim that the purpose of cutting PIP - a non-means tested benefit - is to help people back into work requires saying something untrue.
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Will Ford @willfordosblaw.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
RIP Brian Wilson!
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Reposted by Will Ford
Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
BBC's Arabic radio service in Lebanon closed after 85 years as part of a £28.5m savings drive. 'Just months later, in October 2023, the Russian state-owned Sputnik news agency took over the frequency. Its news bulletin opened with “This is Moscow”, replacing the previous “This is London” intro.' 🙄
inews.co.uk
BBC warns Russia is taking over World Service radio frequencies
Russian propaganda is filling the void where the BBC has closed World Service radio services due to cuts
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Reposted by Will Ford
James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 01/06/2025
I am constantly baffled by the inability of people making this argument to treat children as humans. Take a family. You think they shouldn’t have had a third child. Maybe they did, in fact, make a bad decision. You win. Now, what do you want the child to eat: is your scolding especially nutritious?
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Eleanor Morton @eleanormorton.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
Duolingo right now: youtube.com/shorts/hL9pl...
youtube.com
Literally every company now
YouTube video by Eleanor Morton
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Reposted by Will Ford
Charlotte O'Brien @cobrien.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
"We don't understand. We've tried everything; writing op-eds declaring the Far Right are bang on & repeating their slogans; giving speeches with all the Far Right buzz words & rhetoric; changing laws and policies to give effect to Far Right demands; and... STILL people want to vote Far Right??"
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Reposted by Will Ford
Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
A question that I haven't heard a good answer to: if cutting migration by a third in a year hasn't changed the narrative on it at all - what would make you think cutting it by another third (or half] would?
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Will Ford @willfordosblaw.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Today the Civil Legal Aid (Remuneration)(Amendment) Regulations 2025 come into effect, restoring an escape fee for welfare benefits legal help cases. Fixed fee is £208 and the escape threshold is now £624.
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Reposted by Will Ford
Tom Baldwin @tombaldwin66.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
What Farage says about where his votes are coming from is also horseshit, of course. Latest YouGov poll shows Tories have leaked 20% of the 2024 support to Reform, but Labour just 6%. Though that still matters, it’s just a third of what Labour’s losing to Lib Dems and Greens…
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Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
What we saw today was two jumped up thugs and their bootlicking sychophants laughing at the US Constitution, the supreme court, and the idea that anyone can stop them from doing anything they want www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
theatlantic.com
The Constitutional Crisis Is Here
The Supreme Court told the Trump administration to “facilitate” the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from El Salvador’s infamous CECOT prison. So far, the administration is pretending to comply while re...
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Will Ford @willfordosblaw.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
Amending regs to the legal aid Remuneration regs now out and take effect from 1 May 2025. Reintroduces an escape fee for Welfare Benefits legal aid casework. Very pleased to have played a role in bringing about this change. www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/41...
legislation.gov.uk
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Reposted by Will Ford
Cory Booker @corybooker.com · 02/04/2025
I may be tired and a little hoarse, but as I said again and again on the Senate floor, this is a moment where we cannot afford to be silent, when we must speak up.
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John Harris @johnharris1969.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
To mark publication day of Maybe I'm Amazed, I've done a long read for the New Statesman about one of the book's elements: the inhuman, cruel grind of the Special Needs system & how it's collapsing... one of the things that James's love of music got us through t.co/GZhqO6E13i
t.co
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/education/2025/03/the-special-needs-trap
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Naomi Smith @pimlicat.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
Today let's remember that austerity kills. 🧵 Researchers at the University of Glasgow, found that an additional 335,000 deaths occurred in Scotland, England, and Wales between 2012 and 2019 compared to what was expected based on previous trends. www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
Over 330,000 excess deaths in Great Britain linked to austerity, finds study
Research comes as government signals fresh round of public spending cuts
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Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Yet again *another* Times columnist - this time Emma Duncan - makes a blatantly false claim about disability benefits "At present you can get signed off sick simply through a phone consultation with a GP." Just shockingly bad journalism, again and again and again. archive.ph/It3VS
We wrongly implied that sickness benefits can be authorised by a GP (comment, Feb 28). Such decisions are taken by the Department for Work and Pensions.
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Tanja Bueltmann @tanjabueltmann.net · 23/02/2025
I know we all love a dose of hopium, especially now. But the take, which I see all across here, that the far right was defeated in Germany tonight because 80% of Germans voted for other parties is very misleading and unhelpful. Understanding this really matters. 🧵
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Garden Court Chambers @gardencourtlaw.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
📣 Important High Court ruling paves way for legal aid for school exclusion appeals 📣 Our Stephanie Harrison KC & @olliepersey.bsky.social, instructed by Sabrina Simpson & Mital Raithatha of @cclcuk.bsky.social, represented the Claimant. Read on here 🔽 gardencourtchambers.co.uk/important-hi...
From left to right (pictured): Stephanie Harrison KC, Grace Brown, Ollie Persey & Nadia O’Mara.
Banner reads #DoRightFearNoOne.
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Reposted by Will Ford
Stella Creasy MP @stellacreasy.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
This should be changed asap. If we give someone refugee status, it can't be right to then refuse them route to become a British Citizen. To say they can have a home in our country, but never a place in our society and be forever second class. freemovement.org.uk/good-charact...
freemovement.org.uk
Good character guidance amended to block refugees from naturalisation - Free Movement
There have been some important additions to pages 50 and 51 of the Good Character guidance (a comparison of the new and old versions is here) that have the
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
What you are seeing this morning over the refugee decision is Labour alienating and offending its remaining liberal supporters without bringing any new voters onside.
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Anand Menon @anandmenon.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
“This is bad, full stop. It creates a class of person who are forever excluded from civic life no matter how long they live here. It’s also a clear breach of the refugee convention.” Damn straigt, @colinyeo.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
UK to refuse citizenship to refugees who have ‘made a dangerous journey’
Home Office accused of shutting out refugees, as new guidance says those applicants will ‘normally be refused’
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David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
My grandparents entered the UK illegally.
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Chaminda Jayanetti @cjayanetti.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
Disabled man self-harms in public and dies after losing PIP The Treasury: let's cut disability benefit www.disabilitynewsservice.com/disabled-man...
disabilitynewsservice.com
Disabled man self-harms in public and dies after losing PIP, but DWP silent on 30 years of safeguarding failures
A disabled man who was plunged into poverty after his disability benefits were removed died hours after self-harming in public, apparently in protest at his treatment by the Department for Work and…
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Reposted by Will Ford
Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
Of course it’s a coup. Miss the obvious, lose your republic. open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p...
open.substack.com
Of course it’s a coup
Miss the obvious, lose your republic
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Nearly Legal @nearlylegal.co.uk · 05/02/2025
Gosh. Council decision that a person who had obtained a secure tenancy by deception, and left when facing ground 5 possession proceedings, was intentionally homeless from that property was quashed on appeal as never had the right to occupy it. Case note will follow... www.bailii.org/ew/cases/Mis...
bailii.org
Munemo v City of Wolverhampton Council [2025] EWCC 4 (31 January 2025)
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Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
Wait, what? You're desperately worried about integration and then the first policy you come out with is to make citizenship, which has long been seen as a key element of integration, more difficult? Even leaving aside the administrative nightmare you'd probably create, that's odd - to say the least.
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Will Ford @willfordosblaw.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
Nice article in the Law Society Gazette regarding judicial review regarding legal aid for welfare benefits. Many thanks to @monidipafouzder.bsky.social www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/welfare...
lawgazette.co.uk
Welfare benefits decision prompts firm to drop legal aid JR
Lawyers will be able to claim total costs at hourly rates when costs exceed three times the £208 fixed fee.
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Reposted by Will Ford
Katie Schmuecker @katieschmuecker.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
Really good reporting from @channel4news.bsky.social on the uk’s shameful rate of child poverty. We need an ambitious child poverty strategy that starts to rebuild Universal Credit so it protects families when they fall on hard times www.channel4.com/news/child-p...
channel4.com
Child poverty will rise in parts of the UK, warns charity
A leading charity has warned that economic growth alone won't tackle deep-seated levels of poverty.
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Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
Immigration doesn't increase crime (overall/average). But regularising unauthorised migrants does *reduce* crime.
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Will Ford @willfordosblaw.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
Update on judicial review brought by Osbornes challenging legal aid rates for Welfare Benefits legal help work. We have been successful!
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Chaminda Jayanetti @cjayanetti.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
NEW: Labour has given its strongest signal yet that it will *keep* the Tories' planned disability benefit cuts, as it said it would re-run the consultation that was earlier today judged to have been held unlawfully The cuts would hit c450,000 disabled people by 2029 www.bigissue.com/news/social-...
bigissue.com
Labour doubles down on slashing billions from DWP's disability benefits bill
Labour has indicated it will still cut disability benefits after the High Court ruled the Tories' consultation into the plans was unlawful.
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Chaminda Jayanetti @cjayanetti.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
Here's my story on the High Court's ruling against the DWP earlier today www.bigissue.com/news/social-...
bigissue.com
DWP's consultation on disability benefit reforms unlawful, High Court rules
The DWP's consultation into plans to slash billions from disability benefits has been ruled unlawful in a damning High Court judgement.
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Will Ford @willfordosblaw.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
Ah, that special feeling of a child's birthday when the other child loses their shit because it's not their birthday! Precious memories.
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Lewis Goodall @lewisgoodall.com · 05/01/2025
Farage making the astute (and only) move available to him here. Musk’s money would have been very useful. More useful still would be more moderate conservative voters (who Reform needs) to back him: which they won’t do if there’s any hint of association with Robinson.
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Pookleblinky @pookleblinky.bsky.social · 23/12/2024
Fun fact: reading silently is a recent invention in the West, Romans didn't know how to do it, it took until the late Middle Ages for Europeans to generally figure it out.
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Zoe Gardner @zoejardiniere.bsky.social · 23/12/2024
Sharing this again 😊 If you have relatives likely to spend Christmas dinner moaning about migrants, or praising Nigel Farage, this might be some useful info to bring to the table… Good luck!
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Law Centres Network @lawcentres.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
"Legal aid is the stone that successive governments have left unturned when looking at alleviating poverty." Last year, Law Centres saved the government an estimated £172 million. With sustainable funding, they could do a whole lot more. 👉 www.lawgazette.co.uk/features/law...
lawgazette.co.uk
Law Centres: Poor relations
At a time of historically high demand, law centres starved of funds have been closing their doors. Supply and demand are heading in opposite directions, reports Catherine Baksi.
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Nearly Legal @nearlylegal.co.uk · 11/12/2024
14% increase in homelessness in a year. 1 in 47 people in London are homeless, 1 in 61 in Birmingham. There are dreadful, frightening figures. www.theguardian.com/society/2024...
theguardian.com
Shelter condemns ‘shocking’ 14% rise in homelessness across England
Charity says soaring private rents, rising evictions and lack of affordable social housing are to blame
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Will Ford @willfordosblaw.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
Another day, another unlawful housing needs assessment and personal housing plan. One day I'll see a lawful one. One day.
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Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
We hear a lot about the costs of Temporary Accommodation crippling councils financially - but less about why this is. - Central Government is benefiting financially from households being in homeless accommodation rather than the PRS, because they pay just *90% of the LHA rate from 20211*
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Tom Calver @tomcalver.bsky.social · 01/12/2024
NEW: Why do we always think crime is rising, even when it isn’t? This week I looked at one of the big data mysteries. Britain is 2/3 less violent than the 1990s; thefts were higher pre-lockdown Why, then, doesn’t it feel like it? 1/8 @thetimes.com 🔗 www.thetimes.com/article/b63d...
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
New post just out: "The definition of madness" Why governments keep making the same incredibly expensive mistake over and over again. And what they should be doing instead. (£/free trial) open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/t...
open.substack.com
The definition of madness
Governments need to stop making the same incredibly expensive mistake over and over again
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Matt Dathan @mattdathan.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Excl: Ministers will announce millions in extra funding for lawyers to represent asylum seekers to help clear the backlog of appeals that is blocking efforts to move migrants out of hotels: www.thetimes.com/article/eddb...
thetimes.com
Government pledges millions in legal aid to clear asylum backlog
The justice secretary is to announce a major increase in funding for lawyers to represent migrants in asylum courts
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