Last year the government finally announced a £20 million increase to civil legal aid.
Given that legal aid has not seen a funding increase since 1996, this news is to be celebrated, but we know that it’s nowhere near enough. Legal advice is essential for migrant communities to navigate the immigration system and build settled lives here, but the funding it receives pales in comparison to the money poured into hostile policies.
The announcement came after years of sustained pressure from migrant rights groups, legal aid workers and communities directly affected. From direct actions, lobbying events to legal challenges- our community came together to fight for access to justice.
Our organising work is paying off – but we can’t stop there. Let’s put this into context, over half of people currently seeking asylum do not have access to a legal aid lawyer which can lead to unfair refusals, destitution and deportations.
Migrants Organise members, Nanou and Moses speaking ahead of an event in Parliament last year.
| For frontline organisations trying to fill in the gaps, things aren’t getting easier—90% of Migrants Organise members are homeless or in insecure housing, and we’re trying urgently to raise funds for them. Meanwhile, the last government spent £22m on the Bibby Barge, £318m on the failed Rwanda deportations and £996m on asylum housing contracts with misery profiteer Clearsprings. Up against this scale of hostility, we know that a £20m legal aid increase alone isn’t enough for people to access the advice and support they need. People like our member Moses, who had to email 50 different lawyers to find one to represent him. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We’re turning up the heat organising for long-term change with impacted communities across the country, so that everyone has access to justice and no one is left behind. |
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In the meantime, we’re asking our community to help us us support people who need solutions now in order to survive the immigration system. We’re doing one final push of our annual Solidarity Appeal, to raise funds for this kind of emergency support for our members. We are so close to reaching our £10,000 target—can you chip in? |
| Together, we will keep taking action, speaking out, and telling the story of a world of care, solidarity and compassion. |
We’re fighting for access to justice for all, so that no one is left behind and our communities can thrive. Read more about our work and get involved.
