Clause 80 of the Government’s Data (Use and Access) Bill could strip away your right to decide whether people or machines make decisions that impact our lives. Big Tech and Whitehall are eager to cut costs by using AI algorithms to make crucial decisions about you. Soon, computers—not people—could determine the outcome of your benefit claims, job applications, or mortgage approvals. Right now, UK GDPR protects your right not to be simply subjected to life-changing decisions made solely by machines. You will be forced to prove a mistake has been made when machines get it wrong. We need to ensure that we decide whether people — not just machines — make life-changing decisions about us.  Computers do make mistakes. In 2019, an algorithm misgraded the A-level results of thousands of students – as a result 40% came out lower than expected. Uber was sued after the company used an algorithm to ‘robo-fire’ many of its drivers, and problems with the Post Office Horizon system resulted in hundreds of people being wrongly prosecuted.  With the increased use of AI by companies and government departments, we can expect automated decision-making to increase.  We need to be able to decide if we want humans or machines to determine life-changing decisions.

Time is running out as there is only 5 weeks before she must register for the event. She has been waiting for her interview for the best part of a year and it's overdue. Many people who claimed asylum after her are getting their interviews and granted asylum. It's her turn.

We are a group of asylum and refugee organisations working directly with vulnerable and scared people, asylum seekers and refugees, accommodated in Home Office hotels across the country.  Over the past eight days, our clients have been terrorised, re-traumatised and further dehumanised by organised far-right racist violence, unfolding on our streets and across our country, leaving communities at risk.  Asylum seekers, refugees and wider communities of colour are scared for their lives, alongside our colleagues who support them, as many non-governmental organisations are being targeted by the far-right. The far-right can not and must not be allowed to dictate how and where asylum seekers and refugees are housed. The failed policy of housing asylum seekers and refugees in hotels has been a gift to the far-right and those scapegoating vulnerable people, protected under international law, for racist and political violence.  The isolation of these hotels and the stigmatisation of asylum seekers and refugees housed in this way has allowed their further dehumanisation and segregation from wider society.  This must end now.  Dangerous disinformation about asylum hotels has spread online and in real life, leading to the devastating consequences we are seeing. The Home Office must reclaim false narratives back from the far-right and centre the humanity, dignity and lived experiences of asylum seekers and refugees.  Refugees and asylum seekers deserve safe homes, not hotels. 

My name is Emma Louise O'Connor and I'm a disabled Grenfell tower survivor from the 20th floor, yes I got out alive but so many of my fellow neighbors and animals didn't I'm passionate about getting rid of this housing 18 metres rule abolished just because the London fire brigade can reach that height why do our lives matter so less to the people who build these high rise yes the London fire brigade have equipment to reach above but every human life should never have a price tag on, London has 33 boroughs with only 102 fire stations is this enough when another Grenfell happens, the fire in hackney with those wood effect cladding outside that was only 6 floors high, with legislation to scrap the 18 metre rule it will be a goal to make all properties a fire safe standard. The goverment and councils needs to put lives before money and aesthetics.

Many migrants face terrible consequences if unable to prove their right to live, study, work in and travel to the UK.  In March 2024, leaked Home Office records showed that database errors had already hit 76,000 people. One person whose Home Office records had been entangled with another’s said: ““We are hostages to this ridiculous system. We are left trying to prove who we are. My life is no longer my own. We are being made to feel like failures but it is the system that has failed us.”” The EU Settlement Scheme first introduced the digital-only immigration status in 2018, and organisations like the3million have persistently raised awareness of the problems people face. Read Vivienne’s story who has struggled to prove her right to work. She says ““It would make me so much more secure in my rights if I had a physical document to prove my status. I hope the government does the right thing and provides us with the peace of mind we need.”” Or read Rosa’s story who was detained at the UK border because they couldn’t find proof of her status. She writes ““I don’t feel comfortable with the thought of travelling. It’s left me thinking that an error in a system somewhere could lead to me not being able to come home. No one should feel that stressed and anxious. We need more security in our status, and having a physical document would help a lot.”” If the Home Office doesn’t pause its digitalisation programme, today’s temporary detention at the UK border will turn into a denial of boarding your plane, train or ferry from January 2025.  If your ‘status in the cloud’ is somehow broken, it will be next to impossible to persuade a foreign airline staff member, with dozens of people queued up behind you, that you genuinely do have the right to return home to the UK. Someone in this position will have NOTHING in their hands to show their rights. This is likely to cause a second Windrush scandal. Windrush was in essence about people who had rights but were unable to prove those rights.  There is a package of sensible steps that can be taken to mitigate this impending disaster - please sign this petition and share it widely.

Roseland Court Nursing Home is a thriving care home in Tregony. It has amazing reviews, runs at a profit, is always full, and has a great name in the community.  It's the only care home in the area. The freeholders want to close the home, and turn it into apartments.  Our residents and families, staff and friends are extremely distressed and have been given notice to leave.  Residents who live in the existing apartments are very worried, as they purchased the properties with the security of having the nursing home at hand if they required nursing care.  Nursing Homes are vital in Cornwall. We have an elderly population, people come to retire in Cornwall for the beautiful countryside and quiet pace of life.  Cornwall has lost 138 nursing beds in the last 3 years, which has caused significant bed blocking in our only main hospital. The community hospitals are stretched, and some have closed.  Nursing Homes need to be protected to help our vulnerable elderly and our NHS.  The Government needs to support Nursing Homes and prevent this from happening.

A client, often vulnerable, should not have to call around to be repeatedly told that solicitors cannot take on a case. Despite a duty to not refuse a case, they are suitably qualified, and many solicitors discriminate. They do this by stating they "do not have capacity". This way a solicitor will pick and choose who they would take on. Often is not a solicitor who chooses the case but the paralegal deciding for the solicitor. Leaving, the most marginalised without representation. Reinstating the referral to a solicitor will help the vulnerable, help uphold their human rights, and the rule of law by actually providing access to legal aid where the UK has determined that they should receive funding for this. Else the legal aid agency is merely providing the illusion of help, without having to produce the rabbit. Not connecting them to a solicitor the UK may be denying this right by the back door. When the outgoing government removed the option to be referred, they were also silently applying a reduction in the amount of legal aid being made available. As well as gatekeeping, there are added resistances to finding solicitors. Often the legal aid search on Resolution, Law Society and the .gov website is not up to date. This adds unneeded friction to the process, at a time is everything to a person who needs to obtain and instruct solicitors. No, fixing the database will not stop the gatekeeping. Because maybe the databases are up to date. I hope that you will support the access to the legal aid agency so that you can continue to uphold the rule of law for the UK, and its human rights record.

The current debate about where asylum seekers fearful of forced deportation by the UK government might try to escape to; is at the moment about the 'problem' of people crossing the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland border. Do you think people crossing this border are the problem governments need to 'solve', or do you think respect for human rights, dignity and the need for co-operation between governments are the subjects we need to make our representatives do work about? If you agree with me, please sign this petition.

Innocent civilians in Gaza are dying every day because of the conflict there. Seven aid workers, including British citizens, were killed “systematically, car by car” in a targeted Israeli air strike in Gaza while leaving a food warehouse. As the UN Secretary-General said in February, the “tragic human toll of the conflict in Gaza,” is appalling. This is why last week over 130 MPs and peers from different parties asked David Cameron to suspend arms export licences to the Israeli government, this week he reportedly warned Israel that the UK may cut off arms supplies if they don’t let aid into Gaza and respect international law. Pressure is mounting for the Prime Minister to act, 56% of voters back a ban on arms sales to Israel, and over 600 legal experts signed a letter today saying that the UK is breaching international law by continuing to arm Israel. But Rishi Sunak hasn’t heard directly from us yet - and a huge petition signed by all of us could be the final push he needs to suspend selling arms to the Israeli Government until they let aid into Gaza and respect international law.

There is a worldwide boycott of Israeli products and companies until Israel ends its genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people, over 100,000 people have been killed, injured and maimed, so far. Also the illegal occupation of Palestine must finally end after over 50 years. To be linked with Israel or an Israeli company, at this time, is offensive to many and is highly controversial and insensitive.

In response to the suspension of UNRWA funding, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, stated: “It is shocking to see a suspension of funds to the Agency in reaction to allegations against a small group of staff, especially given the immediate action that UNRWA took by terminating their contracts and asking for a transparent independent investigation. The United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), the highest investigative authority in the UN system, has already been seized of this very serious matter. “UNRWA is the primary humanitarian agency in Gaza, with over 2 million people depending on it for their sheer survival.  Many are hungry as the clock is ticking towards a looming famine. The Agency runs shelters for over 1 million people and provides food and primary healthcare even at the height of the hostilities. “In its ruling yesterday, the International Court of Justice ordered that “Israel must take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of life faced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip”. These measures are aimed at preventing irreparable damage to the rights of Palestinians. “The only way that this can be done is through cooperation with international partners, especially UNRWA as the largest humanitarian actor in Gaza. Some 3,000 core staff out of 13,000 in Gaza continue to report to work, giving their communities a lifeline which can collapse anytime now due to lack of funding.” “I urge countries who have suspended their funding to re-consider their decisions before UNRWA is forced to suspend its humanitarian response. The lives of people in Gaza depend on this support and so does regional stability". (1) The United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, also responded by stating: “The United Nations is taking swift action following the extremely serious allegations against several UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff members. An investigation by the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) was immediately activated. “Of the 12 people implicated, nine were immediately identified and terminated by the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini; one is confirmed dead, and the identity of the two others is being clarified. “Any UN employee involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution. The Secretariat is ready to cooperate with a competent authority able to prosecute the individuals in line with the Secretariat’s normal procedures for such cooperation. “Meanwhile, 2 million civilians in Gaza depend on critical aid from UNRWA for daily survival but UNRWA’s current funding will not allow it to meet all requirements to support them in February. While I understand their concerns – I was myself horrified by these accusations - I strongly appeal to the governments that have suspended their contributions to, at least, guarantee the continuity of UNRWA’s operations. “The abhorrent alleged acts of these staff members must have consequences. But the tens of thousands of men and women who work for UNRWA, many in some of the most dangerous situations for humanitarian workers, should not be penalized. The dire needs of the desperate populations they serve must be met.” (2)   Notes: (1) Statement from Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner General, 27th January 2024: https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/unrwa%E2%80%99s-lifesaving-aid-may-end-due-funding-suspension (2) Statement from Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary General, 28th January 2024: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2024-01-28/statement-the-secretary-general-unrwa Further Information: UNRWA is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The United Nations General Assembly established UNRWA in 1949 with a mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to registered Palestine refugees in the Agency’s area of operations pending a just and lasting solution to their plight. UNRWA operates in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, The Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Tens of thousands of Palestine refugees who lost their homes and livelihoods due to the 1948 conflict continue to be displaced and in need of support, nearly 75 years on. UNRWA helps Palestine Refugees achieve their full potential in human development through quality services it provides in education, health care, relief and social services, protection, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance, and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions. https://www.unrwa.org/who-we-are See also the ICRC website on the Fourth Geneva Convention: https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/gciv-1949?activeTab=undefined

Palestinians are in desperate need of humanitarian aid.