Garden Court North co-hosts North-West Migrants’ Rights Conference
1 October 2025
The North-West Migrants’ Rights Conference brought together more than 75 delegates and speakers across law, media, NGOs, academia and lived experience. Credit: Alex Blair / Garden Court North.
Yesterday (30 September 2025) saw Garden Court North and Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU) come together to host the inaugural North-West Migrants’ Rights Conference in Manchester.
The day intended to provide a safe space for compassionate, humanising rhetoric around immigration, contrary to the current climate of hate, hostility and dehumanisation seen from street-level rallies to Government policies.
After an introduction from GMIAU’s Nicola Burgess and Garden Court North’s Alex Blair, Daniel Trilling gave an opening keynote speech, drawing on his reporting for The Guardian to overarchingly and thematically analyse the political rise of the far-right and the normalisation of anti-migrant attitudes.
He concluded by putting the following question to the packed-out audience of delegates and speakers: “how can we present an alternative idea of community and belonging to the one that the far-right is currently, loudly, but not comprehensively and not unstoppably putting forward?”
The first panel, ‘Housing, Support and Destitution’, was chaired by Garden Court North’s Elizabeth Mottershaw, drawing on experience and advice from Kathleen Cosgrove (Greater Manchester Law Centre), Maria Houlihan (GMIAU), and Will Wheeler (GMIAU and the Migrant Destitution Fund). Will was accompanied by a young member of the hotels’ group, who spoke eloquently and powerfully about the often horrific reality of living in the so-called ‘migrant hotels’.
The second panel, ‘Windrush and the Hostile Environment’ brought together legal experts Nicola Burgess (GMIAU) and Stephanie Hill (Leigh Day) alongside those with lived experience, Hetticia MacIntosh and Nelson Shardey, who shared their personal struggles and campaigns against unjust deportation and the Home Office. The panel was rounded off by GMIAU’s Fatou Jinadu, and chaired by Maxwell Goddard (also GMIAU).
GMIAU’s Suzanne Mahoney then chaired the third panel, ‘Trafficking’, during which Priya Solanki (One Pump Court) broke down strategic litigation and Lindsay Cundell (Anti-Trafficking and Labour Exploitation Unit) spoke about her interim relief hearings for a client at risk of deportation through the Government’s highly publicised ‘one in, one out’ agreement with France. From the University of Liverpool, Dr Maayan Niezna outlined her research into trafficking for labour exploitation, the regulation of labour migration, and the rights of non-citizens.
After lunch, Garden Court North’s Helen Foot chaired the fourth panel, ‘Children – Age Assessments and Best Practice’, alongside GMIAU’s Kate Ormsby and Kathleen Whitehead, as well as the University of Liverpool’s Professor Helen Stalford. They were also joined by someone from GMIAU’s young person programme, who described the painstakingly long process of age assessments, often involving five or six lengthy interviews with different Home Office representatives, recollecting traumatic incidents.
The fifth panel, ‘Reporting, Detention and Removal’, saw Garden Court North’s Elizabeth Mottershaw talk about her work as a Trustee of the Helen Bamber Foundation. GMIAU’s Hassoun Tahir (as chair) and Rivka Shaw also weighed in, alongside Fionnuala Gregan (Duncan Lewis) and Maggy Moyo (Right to Remain and These Walls Must Fall).
The sixth and final panel of the day, ‘Looking Ahead’, saw speakers seize the chance to galvanise delegates with calls for solidarity and collective action. Chaired by Nicola Burgess, Garden Court North’s Helen Foot spoke alongside segments from GMIAU’s Amanda Shah and Decla Palmer, before Tom Nunn (South Yorkshire Refugee Law and Justice) broke down issues in the legal aid funding for defence of migrants’ rights.
Julia Savage from Asylum Matters then closed out the day with her rousing closing remarks, breaking down hate-fuelling headlines and rallies outside ‘migrant hotels’, as well as calling for safeguards against disinformation.
Garden Court North would like to thank everyone who contributed to and attended the North-West Migrants’ Rights Conference.
Read more about Garden Court North’s immigration and asylum team here.
For further information, please contact Alex Blair, Communications Manager at Garden Court North Chambers: ablair@gcnchambers.co.uk
